Autumn of '73
by MaureenT
Summary: In the autumn of 1973, two children meet, one shattered by tragedy, the other lonely and bitter, and forge a friendship that will change their lives. Daniel & Sam friendship fic.
1. Chapter 1

**Autumn of '73**

**Author:** MaureenT  
**Rating:** K+  
**Categories:** Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Drama  
**Content Warning:** Mild Profanity  
**Spoilers:** Crystal Skull  
**Author's Notes:** There have been quite a few fics written about some of the members of SG-1 meeting as children. This is my take on an alternate universe in which Daniel and Sam meet as children shortly after the death of Daniel's parents. In this universe, they are the same age.

* * *

CHAPTER ONE

The school bell rang for the lunch break, and eight-year-old Samantha Carter closed her book. She filed out of the classroom with the other kids. Going to her locker, she got her lunch box and headed for the door to go outside. Though the weather was a bit nippy, it was clear and sunny, and she didn't feel like eating in the cafeteria.

Outside, Sam looked about at the other kids who'd decided to eat outside at the picnic tables on the school grounds, next to the playground. None of them were kids she knew very well. She really didn't know anyone here very well. Her family had just moved here a month ago.

Sam sat by herself at a table. As she ate, she thought about the friends she'd left behind, friends she'd had six months to get close to only to have to say goodbye. It was not the first time. This was the third school she had attended.

Sam hated the moving, hated saying goodbye to friends, hated having to start all over in a new town, a new school. At times, she hated the Air Force. Sometimes, she even hated her dad since it was because of him and his job that they had to move so often. Why couldn't the Air Force let him stay in one place?

She was especially angry at her father now. They had barely moved into their new place when he went off out of town again, maybe even out of the country, for all she knew. He never told her where he was going or why.

Sam wished that she had friends to talk to, but, so far, she hadn't found anyone at this school that she really liked. She was considered a geek by a lot of the kids because she was smart and liked math and science a lot. There were a couple of girls in her class that were okay, kind of nice, but they weren't really friends, not yet.

Sam had just finished her lunch when she noticed a boy sitting all by himself under the big tree near the edge of the eating area. He appeared to be about her age, but he wasn't in her class. He could be in the other third grade class, the one taught by Mrs. Esterbrook, or maybe he was only in the second grade. Sam couldn't recall ever seeing him before, and it wasn't a very big school. She wondered if he was new.

Curious, Sam watched him. He sat with his knees up close to his chest as he slowly ate his lunch. He never looked at anyone, didn't respond to the sounds of kids laughing and playing. It was kind of weird, and Sam wondered if there was something wrong with him.

Just then, trouble came in the form of Bud Whitman, the school bully. He and two of the kids who always hung around him walked up to the boy.

"Hey, what's up with you, new kid?" Bud asked. When the boy did not reply, didn't even act like he'd heard, a sneer formed on Bud's face. "What's the matter? Can't you hear? Or maybe you're a retard. Is that it? You a retard?" He laughed. "Yeah, that's what you are. Hey, retard! I'm talking to you." He bent over and shoved the boy's shoulder, but still got no reaction. That apparently angered him. "How would you like me to smash your face in, retard? Then maybe you'd say something. Go cryin' home to Mama."

That did get a reaction. The boy ducked his head, hunching his shoulders.

The insults and jeers continued, some from Bud, others from his two cronies. Sam finally decided she'd had enough and marched over there.

"Hey! Why don't you just leave him alone!" she shouted.

Bud and his friends turned to glare at her.

"Hey, it's the geek Army brat," Bud said.

Sam lifted her chin proudly. "Air Force."

"What?"

"My dad's in the Air Force, not the Army."

"Army, Air Force. What's the difference?"

"Well, if you read a book once in a while, maybe you'd know," Sam replied, knowing that she probably shouldn't have.

Bud's face reddened. "You calling me dumb?"

Sam didn't reply, which made Bud even angrier. He took a threatening step toward her. Sam held her ground.

"Maybe you're the one whose face I should smash," he said.

"I'd like to see you try it," Sam responded. "My dad knows about a hundred ways to kill somebody with his bare hands."

It was a bluff, but it made Bud pause. After a few seconds, the sneer returned.

"Ah, you're not worth the trouble, geek." He turned back to the boy sitting on the ground, who hadn't moved from his position. "I'll be seeing you later, retard."

Bud and his pals sauntered off. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sam looked at the boy the bully had chosen as his newest target. Hesitantly, she approached him.

"Um . . . are you okay?"

There was a moment's hesitation, then the boy's head nodded very slightly, his eyes still cast downward.

Sam didn't know what it was, but there was something about this boy that was preventing her from just walking away. Instead, she sat beside him.

"My name's Sam, short for Samantha. I haven't seen you here before. Are you new?"

That got her another nod, a little stronger.

"I hope Bud didn't scare you."

This time, the boy shook his head, a silent no.

"So . . . what's your name?"

She got no reply to her question. She waited several seconds and was just about to get up and leave when the boy began scratching something in the dirt with his fingertip. Sam leaned over and saw that he was writing letters. First a 'D', then an 'A', followed by 'N'. The name 'Daniel' was soon completed.

"Daniel. Um, why don't you talk? Can't you say anything?"

The boy's head ducked down even further. Sam decided that the kid was just plain weird, and she really shouldn't waste her time on him. But she knew what it was like starting at a new school, how lonely it could be.

At that moment, the bell rang. Sam got up, as did Daniel, whose gaze never lifted.

"Well, uh . . . I'll see you later," Sam said, then headed off back to class.

Once she was busy with her schoolwork, Sam forgot all about the strange new kid. As she headed to her school bus, she saw him get into a car with a dark-haired woman, three little children in the back seat. He was clutching his backpack to his chest, his head in its perennial bowed position.

Not giving him any more thought, Sam got on the bus.

Her bus ride came to an end as it pulled up before the gate of the Griffiss Air Force Base. Getting off the bus, Sam made her way through the base housing and to the place that was where her family now lived. She stomped up the steps and went inside, shutting the door rather hard.

"What's that thunder I hear?" asked a male voice. The owner of the voice appeared from the kitchen. Captain Jacob Carter smiled upon seeing his daughter.

"Daddy!"

Sam dropped her backpack and ran to her father, who picked her up into his arms and twirled her about.

"Holy Hannah, Sammie," he said with a warm smile as he set her on her feet. "You're getting too heavy for me to keep doing that." He held her at arms' length. "So, let me look at you." He studied her with a critical eye. "Hmm. Yep, hair's still blond, eyes still blue," he tweaked her nose, "nose still cute."

Sam frowned in objection. "Dad."

"Just checking to make sure you're not an impostor. Can't be too careful, you know. You could be an enemy spy after all my secrets."

Sam giggled.

Jacob smiled down at her, running a hand through her hair. "So, how have you been doing, kiddo?"

"Okay. I don't like this school very much."

Jacob held up a finger. "Ah."

Sam sighed. "I know. Don't whine."

Jacob led her over to the couch, and they sat down. He knew that the transfers were hard on his children. It was tough for them to leave all their friends behind. His elder child, Mark, had been acting out lately because of it. Mark was presently sick with a cold and had been in no mood to spend time with his father today.

"Have you made any friends yet?" he asked his daughter.

"Not really. There are a couple of girls who are kind of nice. I've had lunch with them a few times."

"Well, maybe you could invite them over sometime."

Sam stared at her lap. "Why bother? I'll just have to say goodbye to them in a few months."

Jacob gave a silent sigh. He laid his arm over his daughter's shoulders. "I know that these transfers are tough for you and Mark, Sammie. They're tough for your mom and I, too. But I'm hoping that things will get better. The day will come when we'll be able to settle in one place. Then there won't be any more moves." He chucked Sam under her chin. "So, smile and keep your chin up." He didn't get a smile, which he hadn't expected. He decided to change the subject. "How's the schoolwork coming?"

"Okay. It's boring. The math is too easy, and the science is lame, real kid's stuff."

Jacob's lips curled into a smile. It hadn't taken long for him and his wife to discover that their daughter was a lot smarter than the average kid. They'd considered bumping her up a grade or two, but thought that would be even harder on her since she would then be in a class with older children. Instead, Sam's mom was tutoring her a bit at home to supplement what she was learning in school.

Jacob chuckled. "My daughter, the genius."

"I met a new kid in school today. His name is Daniel. I think he's my age."

"Oh? Is he nice?"

"He's weird."

Jacob frowned at her disapprovingly. "Samantha."

"Sorry. But he is weird, Daddy. He was sitting all by himself under the tree, not looking at anybody. And he doesn't talk at all. I asked him his name, and he wrote it in the dirt instead of telling me."

"Well, maybe he's just very shy."

"Bud Whitman called him a retard."

"Samantha Anne Carter, I don't ever want to hear you use that word," Jacob barked.

"I didn't call him that!" Sam cried. "Bud did."

"Even so, I don't want you speaking it."

Sam ducked her head. "I'm sorry."

Jacob's expression softened. He brushed her hair from her face. "If this Daniel isn't as smart as most kids, it's not his fault, and it would be wrong to be mean to him because of it."

"I know, Daddy. I wouldn't be mean to him."

"Good. I'm sure he could probably use a friend just as much as you want one. Just remember that."

* * *

The next day, during the lunch break, Sam decided to eat outside again. Right away, her eyes went to the tree and saw that Daniel was there again, in the same position. There was one difference this time, however. He was reading a book, which was propped up against his legs.

Recalling her father's words, Sam walked over to him, lunch box in hand.

"Hi."

The boy's head lifted, large, crystal clear blue eyes looking up at her.

"I'm Sam. Remember?"

Daniel nodded.

"Can I have lunch with you?"

This time, the boy hesitated before nodding.

As Sam sat down, Daniel's gaze went back to his book.

"What are you reading?" Sam asked.

After a pause of a few seconds, Daniel slid the book over to her. It was on world history, and it was not a book for children. Surprised, Sam flipped through the pages, seeing a lot of words she hadn't learned yet.

"You're reading this?" she asked, not hiding the surprise in her voice.

Daniel nodded shyly.

Sam looked at him. "You're not just looking at the pictures?"

Daniel frowned and shook his head.

Sam gave him back the book. She stared at it, then at the boy. "How old are you?"

Daniel raised eight fingers, confirming that he was Sam's age.

"What grade are you in?"

There was another hesitation, then Daniel held up one finger.

"You're only in first grade?!" Sam blurted out, louder than she had intended. The result was that Daniel curled in tight around himself, his head ducking low.

Sam felt a little bad about saying that, but she was very curious now. "How come you're only in first grade when you can read books like that? I can't read all those words, and I'm in third grade."

Daniel shrugged infinitesimally.

Louise, one of the two girls that Sam was tentatively beginning to consider a friend, came walking up. She glanced at Daniel, then turned her full attention on Sam.

"Would you like to come eat with me and Sandra? We're sitting over there." She pointed at one of the tables.

"Oh, um. . . ." Sam looked at Daniel. She had asked if she could eat with him, but he still wasn't talking, so he wasn't very much fun. But she should at least ask him if it was okay if she left. "Is it okay if I go eat with them?"

Daniel gave her a very small nod, not looking at her.

As Sam got up, she was feeling kind of guilty. "Maybe we can have lunch together another day."

Daniel didn't respond. Sam hesitated, then left with Louise.

"Why are you hanging around with him?" the girl asked. "He's one of the dumb kids, and he never talks to anyone. I heard some kids say that he's not right in the head, that he won't even talk in class. The teacher just mostly ignores him."

Sam frowned at the statement and the mean words. "He's not dumb. He can't be."

"How come?"

"Because he was reading a book with a lot of bigger words. I couldn't even read some of them."

"He was probably just looking at the pictures."

"He said that he wasn't."

"Well, he must have been lying. He probably didn't want you to know how dumb he is."

Sam stopped walking. "Stop saying that. It isn't nice."

Louise also stopped, staring at her. "You like him."

"No. It's just not nice to keep calling him dumb."

Louise shrugged. "Whatever. Are you going to come eat with us or not?"

Sam was tempted to say no, but Louise and Sandra were the only girls she'd found in the school so far with whom she got along. They didn't think she was a geek.

Sam nodded and resumed walking, glancing back once at the lonely figure sitting under the tree.

* * *

After school, Sam glanced about on her way to the bus, looking for Daniel, but, this time, she didn't see him.

Her dad was in the driveway, working on the lawnmower, when she got home. Sam gave him a hug, but he didn't hug her back because his hands were greasy.

"So, how was school today?" he asked as he tinkered with the mower.

"All right. I found out that Daniel is my age and that he's only in the first grade."

Jacob nodded. "Ah."

"But he was reading a book that wasn't a kid's book."

Jacob looked up at her from his kneeling position. "Oh? What kind of book?"

"History. I couldn't even read all the words. I thought maybe he was just looking at the pictures, but he said he wasn't."

"Oh, so he talked?"

Sam shook her head. "No. Louise said that he doesn't even talk in class."

"Hmm. You know, there are some special people who are not as smart as others in most ways, but are extremely smart and talented in one particular way. That kind of person usually doesn't act normally. Perhaps that's what Daniel is."

Sam thought about that. "Maybe."

Jacob smiled. "If I'm not mistaken, your mom fixed a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Perhaps you should go investigate."

With a grin, Sam ran toward the house.

"And bring me a couple!" her father called after her.

* * *

The next day at lunch, Sam's eyes went immediately to the tree. She was surprised not to see Daniel there. She looked around, but didn't spot him. Maybe he was eating inside today, or maybe he didn't come to school.

Throughout her solitary lunch, Sam kept glancing about, hoping to see some sign of the strange, silent boy. She finished early and decided to go to the playground. She hadn't gotten very far when she thought she heard something. She turned toward the sound. There was a small alcove in the building's wall, in front of which sat a bench. Somebody was inside the alcove, almost completely hidden from view.

Sam went around the bench and saw that it was Daniel. She also saw that he was crying, silent tears flowing down his cheeks. Did that jerk Bud hurt him?

Feeling a little uncomfortable, Sam walked up to him. As soon as he realized she was there, he began wiping away the tears, his face turned away.

"Are you hurt?"

Daniel shook his head.

Sam crouched beside him. "How come you're crying?"

The boy didn't reply.

Sam noticed that his backpack was open and that one of the books inside was peeking out. The cover grabbed her attention, and she pulled it out. It was on ancient Egypt, and it was definitely another book that wasn't written for kids. It was worn, like it had been handled often. Sam looked inside and saw names of people that she couldn't even hope to pronounce.

She looked at Daniel, whose eyes were on the book, a hint of fear in them. Was he afraid that she'd damage it? She put it back in his pack.

"You really like history, don't you," she said.

Daniel nodded after a moment.

"And you can really read all that stuff?"

The boy nodded again.

"Can I look at the book again? I promise I'll be careful with it."

Daniel paused before nodding.

Sam took the book back out and glanced through it. She came to a page with a bunch of symbols. She remembered that they're called hieroglyphs.

"I bet you can't read that," she said, pointing at the hieroglyphs.

A tiny spark of defiance lit within Daniel's eyes. He nodded firmly.

"You can? What does it say?"

Daniel pulled a pencil and paper from his pack and began writing. He gave her the sheet of paper a few minutes later. On it was the translation, along with hastily drawn copies of the hieroglyphs. He had not referenced the book even once.

Surprised, Sam stared at the paper, then at Daniel. "Wow, you really can read them, can't you. And you can write them, too."

Daniel nodded.

"Who taught you?"

The bit of light in Daniel's eyes died a quick death. His head dropped. His arms wrapped around his waist in a self-hug.

Sam was going to ask what was wrong, but the bell rang. She got to her feet, but Daniel didn't move.

"It's time to go back to class," she said. "You don't want to be late." When Daniel still didn't move, Sam shrugged. "Well, I'll see you later." She then walked away, even more puzzled by the boy with no voice.

* * *

It was over dinner that Sam mentioned Daniel again.

"I think you're right about Daniel, Daddy," she said.

Jacob looked up from his plate. "Right about what?"

"That he's really smart in one way."

"Who's Daniel?" Sam's mother, Laura, asked.

"He's a new kid in school," Sam replied. "He's the same age as me. He never talks, and he's only in the first grade, but he can read adult books."

Laura's eyebrows skyrocketed. "He reads adult books?" Her voice was a bit higher pitched than normal.

Jacob tried very hard not to laugh. "She means ones that aren't written for children."

"Oh. I see."

"Today, he had a book on ancient Egypt," Sam said, "and I found out that he can read and write hieroglyphs. You know, the language that the ancient Egyptians wrote in."

"Really?" Jacob responded. "That's pretty impressive."

"I asked him who taught him, but he wouldn't tell me. He was crying when I first saw him. I think he was hiding, too."

Jacob frowned upon hearing that. He shared a look with his wife.

"Was he hurt, honey?" Laura asked.

"I don't think so. I asked if he was, and he shook his head."

"Sam, have you ever seen Daniel's parents?" Jacob questioned.

"I saw a lady that I think is his mom. She picked him up from school day before yesterday."

Jacob and Laura exchanged another glance, then Laura told Sam to finish her dinner.

That night, after the kids were in bed, Jacob came into the living room and sat beside his wife, a troubled look on his face. Laura studied him for a moment.

"You're thinking about that boy at school," she guessed.

"I'm just starting to wonder about him. I thought that he might have some kind of mental disability, but, now, I'm not so sure that's what the problem is."

"You think that he might be abused?"

"From what little Sam has told me, it sounds like he's severely withdrawn. He never speaks, not even in class. I don't know a lot about abused children, but I can imagine that frequent abuse or molestation could cause a child to withdraw emotionally and stunt their mental development."

"But, according to what Sam said, he must actually be quite smart. How many eight-year-olds can read and write Egyptian hieroglyphs?"

"Not many, I'd say. So, he may not be mentally disabled at all, just severely damaged emotionally."

Laura shook her head. "I hope you're wrong about this. The thought of a child being abused so badly. . . ."

Jacob put his arm around her. "I know. I'm not going to jump to conclusions about this. We'll just have to see what else we learn about him." 


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

The next day was Friday. Sam was looking forward to the weekend. Her father had promised that they could all go to the park for a picnic and some fun, if Mark felt well enough.

At lunchtime, Sam was pleased to see Daniel in his usual spot under the tree. She didn't know why she kept feeling herself drawn to him. She just was. Without hesitation, she went over to him.

"Hi."

Daniel looked up at her, and she was surprised to see a tiny smile come to his lips.

"Can I have lunch with you?" she asked.

Daniel looked around, as if searching for someone.

"Who are you looking for?"

Daniel scribbled something on the piece of paper he'd been writing on and handed it to her. _"Your friends,"_ it said.

"Oh. No, I'm not eating with them today." Sam sat down and took the sandwich out of her lunch box. "Besides, they're only sort of my friends. I'm new here, too. We moved here only a month ago. My dad's in the Air Force, and he just got transferred here. He gets transferred a lot, and I hate it. We're always having to move. I can never make real friends because I lose them when we move someplace else." She looked at Daniel, who appeared to be listening intently. "Did you just move here?"

Daniel's head dropped, face turned to his lap. He shook his head.

Sam was puzzled. "You didn't move here? Are you here only temporary?"

This time, Daniel shrugged.

"Don't you know? Haven't your mom and dad told you?"

Daniel began hugging himself again, his head ducked even lower. Sam saw a single tear drip down his face.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying again?"

Daniel sniffled and wiped away the tear. He wrote something on a new sheet of paper and gave it to her. It said, _"They're dead." _

Sam stared at the paper, then at Daniel. "Your mom and dad are dead?"

Daniel nodded very faintly, his face turned away. She knew he was still crying.

"Oh." Sam didn't know what to say. She'd never before talked to somebody who was an orphan. She knew that if something ever happened to her mom and dad, it would hurt a lot, even worse than when Grandpa Tom died last year.

"I'm sorry," she finally said. "Who's taking care of you?"

_"Some people,"_ Daniel wrote, _"Mr. and Mrs. Underwood." _

"You don't have any other family?"

_"Nick's my grandpa, but he doesn't want me." _

Sam felt really sad all of a sudden. Daniel's grandpa didn't want him? How mean was that?

Sam didn't know what possessed her to say the next words. "I'm going to the park tomorrow with my parents and my brother. Would you like to come?"

Daniel turned a tear-streaked face to Sam, his eyes full of surprise. He gave a tentative nod.

"Would it be okay with the people who are taking care of you?"

The boy frowned, then shrugged, which Sam guessed meant that he didn't know.

"How about if you ask them? Then you could call me. . . . Oh. Um, maybe they can call and talk to my parents."

Daniel gave her a nod and another tiny smile. Sam wrote her phone number down on one of the pieces of paper Daniel had given her.

"I hope they say you can come," she said, and she really did mean it. She knew so little about this boy, but something about him made her want to know him better, maybe even be his friend. "Maybe you should give me your number, too. Do you know it?"

Daniel nodded and wrote it down for her.

They ate their lunches and chatted, Sam, of course, doing all the talking. She talked about her parents, the other towns they'd lived in, what it was like living on a military base. Daniel listened to it all in silence, his eyes watching her like he was actually interested, not just pretending. Every once in a while, he asked a question or gave an answer to one of her questions by writing it down.

All in all, it was a nice lunch . . . until Bud Whitman spoiled it.

"Well, lookie here. The retard and the geek," he said with his usual sneer.

"Daniel's not a retard," Sam instantly responded.

"Looks like a retard to me. Or maybe he doesn't have a tongue. Is that it? Cat got your tongue, retard? Come on. Open up and show me if you have a tongue."

Daniel didn't respond, keeping his head low.

Bud took a step closer. "I said open your mouth."

"Leave him alone," Sam said, getting to her feet.

"Why? Whatcha gonna do about it if I don't, geek? Tell your daddy?"

"I'll tell the teachers."

"They don't care about him. Stupid retard."

Sam got mad. "You're the one who's a retard."

The second the words were out of her mouth, she knew they'd been a mistake. With a hard shove, Bud knocked her to the ground. Fortunately, it was on the dirt around the tree, so it didn't hurt very much.

Bud loomed over her, and Sam was certain he was going to hit her. Whether or not he would have was something she never found out. In the next instant, there was a blur of motion, and Daniel was leaping onto Bud's back, pummeling him with little fists. Taken completely by surprise, the bigger child fell.

A group of kids quickly gathered around, shouting. It didn't take Bud long to get the much smaller Daniel off his back. He drew his hand back and smashed his fist against the younger boy's face, who cried out in pain. Bud then hit him again.

Sam saw red. She jumped up and started kicking Bud in the ribs. "Leave him alone!" she screamed.

Bud knocked her off her feet and was about to hit her when, suddenly, Mister Parker, the principal, was there. He grabbed Bud by the collar and hauled him to his feet.

"What's going on here?!" he shouted. He looked at Daniel, who appeared to be only half-conscious, then at Sam. "Aren't you Samantha Carter?"

"Yes, sir."

"What's happening here?"

Bud started talking, but Mister Parker cut him off.

"I asked Samantha, not you, Bud Whitman."

One thing Sam's father had instilled in her was the importance of honesty. "Bud was picking on Daniel, calling him a retard. I got mad and said that Bud was the retard. He pushed me down and was going to hit me, but Daniel jumped on his back and started hitting him. Bud threw him off and hit him twice, really hard. I started kicking Bud to make him stop hurting Daniel. He then knocked me down and was going to hit me."

One of the teachers had arrived and was checking Daniel.

"How is he?" Mister Parker asked.

"I think he's okay," Miss Williams replied, "just stunned."

"That little retard attacked me first!" Bud yelled, pointing at the semi-conscious child.

"It sounds to me like he was just protecting his friend," the principal responded. "I've warned you before about fighting and bullying, Bud. This time, I'm giving you more than a warning. You're on suspension for a week. If I ever hear of you attacking another child in this school, you will be expelled."

"But you can't!" Bud wailed. "My dad'll belt me."

"You should have thought of that before attacking two kids who are smaller and younger than you."

Just then, Daniel regained full consciousness. His hand went to the left side of his face, which was already showing signs of some spectacular bruising. Miss Williams helped him sit up.

"Are you all right, Daniel?" Mister Parker asked gently.

The boy nodded, his eyes going to Sam questioningly.

"I'm okay, Daniel," she said. Then she smiled. "You saved me."

Daniel's head ducked shyly.

"Take him to the nurse," Mister Parker instructed the teacher. "Samantha, you go with them so that the nurse can look at you as well." He turned to Bud. "Go get your things. You're done for today. I want you back at school with a new attitude on Monday after next."

Daniel and Sam went with Miss Williams to the nurse's station. Mrs. Cane clucked over Daniel, gently palpating his cheek and making him wince.

"Well, I don't think the bone's cracked, though that cheek's going to be mighty sore for quite some time." The woman looked at Sam. "And how about you, young lady?"

"I'm okay."

"Well, let me decide that for myself."

The nurse looked Sam over and found a small scrape on her elbow, which she cleaned and put a band-aid on.

"That should do you. You'd better go on back to class. You're already late." The nurse gave Sam a note explaining where she had been.

Daniel got up, also prepared to leave.

"Not you, young man," Mrs. Cane said. "I hear that you were kind of out of it for a while. Go lay down on that bed and rest. I want to keep and eye on you and make sure you're okay."

Daniel hesitated, his eyes meeting Sam's, then he walked over to the bed and sat on it.

Feeling a little shy, Sam came over to him. She paused for a moment, then threw her arms around his neck. Daniel stiffened.

"Thank you," she whispered. Then, blushing, she hurried out of the room.

* * *

Sam was not looking forward to telling her parents about what happened. She'd really rather not, but Mister Parker had talked to her after class and insisted that she come clean to her parents. If she didn't, he would be the one to tell them.

Sam waited until after dinner. Mark was in his room, so he wouldn't be there to make any wisecracks.

Hesitantly, she approached her parents, who were on the couch, watching TV.

"I, um . . . I need to tell you something," Sam said, her eyes on the carpet.

The TV was turned off.

"What is it, Sam?" Jacob asked.

"I, um, sort of . . . got into a fight at school today."

"You what?!"

Sam jumped at the sound of her father's raised voice. He didn't yell often, but, when he did, it could be scary.

"Out with it, young lady," he commanded sternly.

Sam blurted out the whole story, from beginning to end. Jacob listened to it all in silence. His daughter was painting the young Daniel as some kind of brave hero who'd rescued her from a boy twice his size. He had to admit that he was surprised by Daniel's actions. The picture Jacob had gotten of him wasn't of a child who'd stand up and fight in a situation like this.

"Is Daniel okay?" Laura asked.

"I think so, but Bud hit him really hard two times, and he was a little bit unconscious for a while. The nurse made him stay with her to make sure he was all right."

Jacob sat for the longest time, not speaking, his eyes on his daughter. "Sam, you are aware that you're the one who started this fight by calling that boy a retard, aren't you?"

"But he was being mean to Daniel!"

"Yes, but calling someone names because they're doing the same is not a solution to the problem. You and Daniel should have just gotten up and walked away. And I'd already told you never to use that word."

Sam stared at the floor. "Yes, sir."

"And when Bud started hitting Daniel, you should have called for help instead of kicking him."

"But he was going to hit Daniel again. He might have really hurt him a lot, maybe even killed him."

Jacob almost smiled, but not quite. "Oh, I doubt he'd have killed Daniel." He sighed. "But you are right that he could have harmed him more severely. So, I can understand why you thought you needed to defend Daniel by attacking Bud. I'm not happy with it, but I understand your actions. You were protecting a friend, just like Daniel was protecting you."

In that moment, Sam realized that Daniel _was_ her friend. She barely knew him, hadn't even had a real conversation with him, but he was her friend. Maybe he would even be her _best_ friend.

"However, just because I understand your actions, it doesn't mean that you're getting out of this without punishment. No trip to the park tomorrow."

"But we _have_ to go!" Sam cried. "I invited Daniel."

"Then you'll have to _un_invite him, tell him that you're grounded for the weekend."

Tears filled Sam's eyes. "B-but you don't understand, Daddy. Daniel's mom and dad are dead, and he has no family because his mean grandpa doesn't want him. And he's really sad because they're dead."

Jacob and Laura sat in surprised silence for several seconds.

"How did you learn this, Sam?" Laura asked. "Did Daniel tell you?"

Sam nodded, sniffling. "He wrote me notes. That's how he talks to me."

"Who does he live with?" Jacob asked.

"He said their name was Underwood."

"He's probably in foster care," Laura commented. "The poor child."

Sam was staring at the floor again. "I wanted him to come to the park and play with us so that he'd be happy."

Jacob shared a long look with his wife, who, after a moment, shrugged, leaving the decision up to him.

The captain sighed. On one hand, he firmly believed that his daughter should be punished for the fight, but, on the other hand, it sounded like Daniel could really use some cheering up and a day of fun.

"All right. We'll go to the park tomorrow. No TV or other privileges today, tomorrow, or Sunday."

Sam hugged him. "Thanks, Daddy."

"Now go on to your room."

The girl hurried away.

"Oh, Jacob," Laura said sadly.

The captain sighed. "I know. Well, I guess this explains why Daniel is so withdrawn. It probably hasn't been very long since his parents died, and the authorities just tossed the poor kid right into the foster care system, not explaining it to him."

"Do you think what Sam said about his grandfather is true? What kind of man would turn his back on his own grandchild?"

"Not the kind of man I'd ever want to meet."

Laura kissed Jacob's cheek. "Thank you for changing your mind about the park."

The man smiled at her. "And if I hadn't?"

Laura's eyes twinkled. "Then we'd have had a little discussion later tonight."

Jacob laughed. "Have I told you recently that I love you, Mrs. Carter?"

Laura's expression turned thoughtful. "Hmm. Not recently, now that I think about it." She got a kiss on the lips.

"Then I guess I'll have to remind you of that fact tonight," Jacob said with a special smile.

Laura didn't get a chance to reply, for Sam came running back in.

"I forgot that the people Daniel lives with were supposed to call and talk to you about the park, but they didn't call, so maybe you should call them." Sam handed her father the piece of paper with Daniel's phone number on it.

"Okay, I'll give them a call right now."

An out of breath female voice answered Jacob's phone call on the fourth ring. "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Mrs. Underwood?"

"Yes, it is."

"This is Captain Jacob Carter. My kids attend the same school as Daniel."

"Oh?"

Jacob could hear the sound of kids playing loudly in the background. "Yes, did Daniel tell you that my daughter, Samantha, invited him to join a family outing we're having at the park tomorrow?"

"No, he didn't," Mrs. Underwood replied, clearly surprised. "He got into a fight at school today and wasn't feeling well. He went straight to his room."

"Yes, it was my daughter he was defending in the fight."

"Really? Daniel didn't explain much about it."

Jacob briefly filled her in.

"Well. I have to say that I'm surprised," Mrs. Underwood said. "I'd have thought for sure that Daniel would have run away from something like that. He never seemed the courageous sort. I guess what they say about still waters is true."

"I'm calling to ask if it's all right for Daniel to join us tomorrow. We'll come pick him up and have him back home in a few hours."

"Um . . . I don't know. I don't really know you, and, these days, you have to be so careful. You do understand, right?"

"Of course. How about if I introduce my wife and children when we get there?" Jacob suggested. "You can even call the base and confirm who I am."

"Oh, that won't be necessary, Captain. Just you and your family come to the door when you get here. When will you be arriving?"

"Around ten, if that's okay."

"That'll be fine."

"Thank you. We'll see you tomorrow. Goodbye."

No sooner had Jacob hung up the phone when Sam was asking, "She said yes?" She got a nod from her father. "Yay! Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome. Now, back to your room you go."

Looking awfully happy for a child who was grounded, Sam bounded out of sight.

"I have to say that I'm quite interested to meet this Daniel," Jacob remarked.

* * *

It was just before ten a.m. when the Carters arrived at the Underwood home. Mark wanted to wait in the car, but Jacob made him get out, and they all went up to the door. Their knock was answered by a dark-haired woman in her mid-thirties. Through the open door could be seen three children ranging in age from four to six running around, apparently playing Cowboys and Indians.

"Oh, hello," Mrs. Underwood said. "You must be the Carters."

Jacob shook her hand. "This is my wife, Laura, my son, Mark, and this is Sam."

"Hello." The woman looked down at Sam. "So, I understand that you were involved in that fight yesterday."

"Yes, ma'am," Sam replied.

"Well, I'm glad you weren't hurt. Daniel's got quite a bruise on his face today. It probably hurts like the dickens, but he hasn't complained. Not that he ever says anything anyway."

"Then he doesn't speak to you either?" Laura asked.

"No, not a word. I guess you must know that his parents are dead."

Jacob nodded. "How long ago did it happen?"

"I'm not sure. We just started fostering him, and we're the first family he's been placed with, so I guess it hasn't been very long. He's an easy child to care for, quiet, well-mannered, never causes any trouble. Yesterday's fight was a real surprise to us." The woman smiled. "Well, I'm sure you want to get going." She turned and called Daniel's name. "The Carters are here for you!"

A few seconds later, a boy with medium blond hair appeared from around the corner holding a small backpack against his chest. His head was bowed, his shoulders slightly hunched. The left side of his face was sporting a nasty bruise and looked slightly swollen.

"Hi, Daniel," Sam said with a smile.

The boy glanced at her very briefly, then turned his gaze back to the floor.

"Hello, Daniel," Jacob greeted. "I'm Jacob Carter, Sam's dad."

The eyes flickered up to him for a moment. In that moment, the captain noticed two things, the first being that Daniel had the most startlingly blue eyes he'd ever seen. The second was that those eyes were far too old for such a young child. There was a depth of pain and suffering in them that no child should ever possess. Jacob had seen eyes like that before, within the faces of children in war-torn countries, kids who'd lost everything and witnessed horrors beyond imagining. The sight of those eyes pierced right into the USAF officer's heart.

"Hi, Daniel," Laura said. "I'm Sam's mom, Laura."

Daniel looked at her briefly, then back at the floor.

"Well, you have fun today, Daniel," Mrs. Underwood said. She gave the boy a brief hug, though, to Jacob's critical gaze, it looked like she was a bit uncomfortable about the show of affection.

Daniel and the Carters went to the car, Daniel sitting in the back with the two other kids. As they drove, Mark kept looking at the younger boy, who was sitting in the middle.

"So, how come you don't talk?" he finally asked.

"Mark," Jacob scolded.

"I just asked him why he doesn't talk. It's weird. Is it because his parents are—"

"Mark, that's enough!" Jacob commanded.

The ten-year-old sullenly turned his gaze to the window, saying nothing more.

They arrived at the park a short while later. As the others began unloading things from the car, Daniel hovered uncertainly, apparently not sure what he should do.

"Hey, Daniel. Could you grab that drink cooler?" Jacob asked.

Without hesitation, the boy did as he was asked, appearing to be happy that he was given a task. He picked up another item as well without being asked.

They found an unoccupied picnic table and set everything on top of it. Laura then spread out the big blanket on the grass.

"Can we go to the playground?" Sam asked.

"Sure," Jacob replied. "Just don't swing too high this time. Remember what happened last time."

"I won't." Sam grabbed Daniel's hand. "Come on." She fairly dragged the boy away toward the playground. Mark, who considered himself to be too old for swings, went off to the jungle gym, where another boy of around his age was.

Jacob watched the kids, his eyes often on Daniel. Sam was already swinging high, but the boy seemed to have no interest in going high. His head was still bowed, hands clutching the chains tightly.

"Did you see his eyes, Laura?" Jacob asked his wife softly.

"Yes. That look in them. It's like he's. . . ."

"Shattered. Lost. I've seen kids that have lost a parent. Kids and grief are a funny thing. Children don't handle grief in the same way adults do, especially the young ones. A lot of the time, they act like nothing's wrong. But Daniel. . . ." Jacob shook his head. "There's something about this that we don't know, something big. I've been around children in a war zone, kids that have had all the child in them ripped right out. What I saw in Daniel's eyes was an awful lot like that. That boy was really damaged by something, and I wish I knew what it was." 


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Sam swung high into the air, high enough that the chain was just beginning to jerk, but not too much. She didn't dare go higher. The last time she was on a swing, she went too high and almost got jerked right off her seat.

The girl looked over at Daniel. He was swinging at less than half the height she was. He didn't really look like he was having all that much fun.

"Come on, Daniel. Swing higher. It's more fun."

The boy increased the height of his swinging fractionally. Sam gradually slowed until she was matching Daniel.

"Don't you like to swing?" she asked.

Daniel shrugged.

"Do you like the merry-go-round?"

The question resulted in another shrug.

"Come on. Let's try it."

The two kids stopped swinging and went over to the merry-go-round.

"You get on, and I'll push," Sam instructed.

Daniel climbed on and grabbed a bar. Sam took hold of another bar and began running, getting the merry-go-round spinning at a good speed before jumping on. Daniel didn't move, holding onto the bar like his life depended on it.

Gradually, the wheel slowed. Sam jumped off and got it spinning faster again. After getting back on, she looked at Daniel and saw that he still wasn't smiling.

Determined to find something that her friend would think was fun, Sam let the merry-go-round slow back down. She jumped off and stopped it.

"Let's do the slide," she said.

As they were walking toward it, Daniel paused, his eyes going to something off to the left. Sam looked that way and saw an elderly man with a metal detector.

"Do you know what he's doing?" Sam asked Daniel.

The boy shook his head.

"That's a metal detector. You use them to find hidden things that are made of metal, like coins, and jewelry. Mostly, you just find junk, though."

Daniel's whole face had lit up with interest.

"You want to go see?"

The boy nodded, the most vigorous nod she'd ever seen him give.

They went over to the man.

"Hi," Sam said. "Daniel's never seen a metal detector before, and he's really interested in it."

The man smiled. "Well, they're quite the invention. I've found some pretty nice stuff with this one. I once found a diamond earring that some lady lost. She gave me a nice reward when I turned it in."

Just then, the detector beeped, indicating that it had found something. He ran it over the place a few times, finding the precise spot.

"Let's see what it found this time." He knelt on the ground and carefully searched the grass. Not seeing anything, he pulled out a little trowel to dig. Daniel got right down on the ground beside him, eyes staring intently at where the man was digging.

Soon, a quarter was unearthed.

"Ah. That's nice," he said. He held it out to Daniel. "There you go, Son. A little souvenir."

Daniel stared at the quarter, then up at the man's wrinkled face. Tentatively, he took the money, giving the man a little smile.

"He says thank you," Sam said, speaking for her friend.

The man patted Daniel's head. "You're welcome." He filled in the hole, put the grass back in place, and got to his feet, as did the boy. "Say, would you like to try it?"

Daniel's eyes lit up, a real smile brightening his face for the first time since Sam had met him. He nodded.

"Okay." The man handed the detector to the boy. It was too tall for him, so the man had to keep hold of the handle. "All right, just start swinging it back and forth. You have to keep the bottom part level with the ground and no more than a couple of inches above it."

With the man's help, Daniel started moving the detector back and forth over the grass. Within five minutes, the tool signaled that it had found something else. This time, the man let Daniel do the digging. The boy was careful not to damage the grass, scooping it up and setting it aside before he began to dig. His excavation resulted in the unearthing of a beer bottle cap.

"Well, they can't all be treasures," the man said. He reached for a plastic bag that was tied to his belt and dropped the cap in. "I hate litter," he explained.

Daniel handed him the trowel, giving him a little smile. The old man smiled, too.

"You're welcome," he said.

Sam and Daniel went back over to the playground.

"Do you want to go on the slide?" Sam asked. She received a shake of the head. "What would you like to do?"

In answer, Daniel headed back to where their stuff was.

"Hey, you two," Laura said. "Are you having fun?"

"Uh huh," Sam replied.

"We saw you with that man," Jacob said. "That was nice of him to let Daniel try the metal detector."

"Daniel was really interested in it. The guy found a quarter and gave it to him."

Laura smiled. "Really? That was sweet of him."

Daniel got the toy bucket and shovel, looking at Sam for approval.

"You want to play in the sand?"

The boy nodded.

"Okay, we can do that for a while."

The first thing Daniel did was fill the bucket with water from the drinking fountain. They went to the sandbox, and Daniel poured some of the water into it, wetting the sand just enough so that it would stick together. Then he got busy. Sam wet another part of the sand, and started on her own construction project.

Along with the bucket and shovel was a whole set of plastic tubes, cookie cutter-like shapes and other things to use for making various designs.

Sam was so focused on her own work of art, which was made mostly of stars and crescent moons, that she didn't pay attention to what Daniel was doing. When she finally looked, she just stopped and stared. Somehow, Daniel had managed to create what looked like an ancient Greek ruin, columns and all.

"Wow. That is so cool. How did you do that?"

Daniel simply shrugged.

Sam turned to her parents. "Mom, Dad! Come look at what Daniel made."

The two adults got off the blanket and came over.

"Holy Hannah," Jacob said. "You did that, Daniel?"

The boy nodded, looking embarrassed.

"That's beautiful, sweetheart," Laura said. "Yours is, too, Sam."

Sam shrugged. "Mine's just a bunch of shapes. Daniel made like a Greek temple or something." She looked at her friend. "Can you teach me how you did that?"

Daniel smiled, another real smile, and nodded.

As the two kids got busy on a joint project, Jacob and Laura returned to the blanket.

"You know, I'm beginning to wonder how smart Daniel really is," the captain said. "The reading I could dismiss as just a special gift, but that sand sculpture is something else. It looked like something out of a history book. For all I know, it was. He's eight years old. How many kids that age could build an ancient Greek ruin out of sand?"

"I know what you mean. One minute, you'd think that he has below average intelligent because of the way he's acting. And then he turns around and does something like that."

"He's definitely a mystery."

Sam and Daniel's joint project was another Greek structure. Sam showed it off proudly to her parents.

"Pretty impressive, you two," Jacob said.

"Thanks," Sam responded. Daniel's 'thank you' was in the form of a smile.

"Well, I think it's time we all had our lunch," Laura said. She called to Mark, who was playing frisbee with two other kids.

The picnic lunch consisted of chicken sandwiches, fruit, macaroni salad, chips and, for dessert, the cookies Laura had baked.

"Do you like everything, Daniel?" Laura asked.

He nodded, biting into his sandwich.

After the meal was finished, all the trash thrown away and the leftover food put back in the cooler, Mark returned to the two friends he'd made, who were now tossing a small football back and forth.

The sound of loud arguing drew the attention of the others. Two men were yelling at each other in Spanish a couple dozen yards away. Jacob frowned, not happy about such a display in a public park.

"Can you tell what they're saying?" Laura asked him.

"Only bits and pieces. My Spanish is not very good."

Daniel reached into the little backpack he'd brought and pulled out a notepad and pen. He wrote something and handed it to Jacob.

"Daniel says that they're arguing about a job that the taller man didn't do the way the shorter man wanted it done." Jacob looked at Daniel. "You can understand Spanish?"

Daniel nodded.

Jacob chuckled. "You read Egyptian hieroglyphs and can understand Spanish. Hey, you made those Greek ruins. I suppose that means you can read and speak Greek, too, eh?"

Jacob had just been kidding, so he was more than a little shocked when Daniel nodded his head. The captain blinked.

"You understand Greek?"

The boy nodded again.

Jacob exchanged a look with his wife.

"Daniel, how many languages can you speak?" Laura asked.

Six fingers came up.

"You can speak six languages?!" Sam exclaimed.

Jacob stared at the boy. "Daniel, are you telling the truth?"

The boy frowned, his chin lifting. He nodded. Then he wrote something, giving the pad to Jacob. It said, _"English, Arabic, Spanish, German, Greek, and French."_ The man read the list aloud.

"Wow," Sam said. "You must be really, really smart."

Daniel blushed, ducking his head.

Smart? Jacob was thinking more along the lines of a genius. And they had this kid stuck in the first grade? Someone at that school was definitely not on the ball. More than one someone, most likely.

Laura laughed. "And you can add Egyptian hieroglyphs to the ones he can read. Are there any others you can read?"

Daniel nodded.

"Which ones?"

Daniel took the pad and started writing. He gave it back to Jacob once he was finished.

"Hieratic, Demotic and some Akkadian and Sumerian cuneiform," he read out loud. He couldn't tell whether or not the words were spelled correctly, though he suspected they were.

"What are those?" Sam asked.

"I think they're dead languages, ones that people don't use anymore, like hieroglyphs." Jacob looked at the boy sitting before him, a child who was almost frighteningly smart. "Daniel, who taught you all this? Your parents?"

The boy's gaze dropped, and he nodded.

"What did they do for a living?"

Daniel wrote, _"Archeologists." _

Jacob was beginning to suspect something. "Daniel, where did you grow up?"

_"Mostly Egypt,"_ was the written reply, _"but we went lots of places, all over the world." _

So, Daniel was probably also having to adjust to living in the States on top of everything else.

"Have you ever attended a public school before?"

Daniel shook his head.

Damn. Another thing the poor kid got tossed into with no preparation. No wonder he seemed so lost.

Deciding that they needed to lighten the mood, Jacob suggested that they all go play frisbee. Daniel's expression made the captain guess that the boy had never played the game.

"It's okay if you've never played before, Daniel," he said. "We'll teach you."

And that's what they did. Jacob showed the boy how to throw the frisbee, the right way to move his arm and twist his wrist. After a few practice throws, the child was doing moderately well, though he'd need a lot more practice to get the frisbee to go where he wanted it to do.

They all had a good time. Even Mark came over and joined in on the fun after being called over by his dad. The two adults were delighted by the smiles that came to Daniel's face whenever he succeeded in catching the frisbee.

An end was finally called. As Jacob, Laura, Sam and Daniel returned to the blanket, Mark returned to the boys he'd been playing with earlier, who had been joined by a third child.

"So, was that fun, Daniel?" Jacob asked.

The boy nodded, smiling.

"What kind of things do they play in Egypt?" Sam asked.

Before the boy could answer, there was a loud crashing sound from across the street. The source of the noise was a big chunk of concrete that a crane had been lifting. The slab had fallen, breaking in two upon impact. A heated argument was now going on between the crane operator and another made.

The sound of a wail of torment jerked everyone's attention away from the accident. Daniel's eyes were wide and staring, filled with utter horror. His chest was rising and falling rapidly with deep, gasping breaths, and he was shaking violently.

Jacob cursed silently, instantly recognizing what was happening. He grabbed the boy up into his arms, putting Daniel on his lap. The child struggled against him, making that awful wailing sound again.

"Shhh. It's okay, Daniel," Jacob murmured into his ear. "It's okay. You're safe. You're safe."

"Mama, what's happening?" Sam asked, getting scared.

Laura held her close. "I don't know, honey. But it's going to be all right."

For a full minute, Jacob tried to talk Daniel out of the flashback within which the boy was lost. Finally, the child stopped struggling. He became complacent, almost limp. Jacob looked down at him to see him staring straight ahead, eyes dull and lifeless.

"Daniel? Can you hear me?" There was no response.

"Jacob?" Laura inquired, fear in her voice.

"We need to take him someplace safe and quiet."

Laura nodded and got to her feet. "Sam, help me get the things in the car, and go get your brother."

When Mark came over, Laura explained that Daniel was sick, and they had to go home. As the three of them got the car packed, Jacob remained where he was, holding Daniel's motionless form.

When he started getting up so that the blanket could be picked up, Daniel abruptly showed some signs of life, clinging to him with surprising strength. Jacob stood, carrying the boy.

"I'll take him to the car," he said. "Sam, give me a hand."

The three of them went to the car. Jacob knew that, for the sake of safety, he needed to put Daniel on the seat and buckle him up, but he was pretty sure the child would have none of that. They'd just have to be less safe for the trip home.

Sam helped her father and Daniel get settled on the front passenger seat.

"Daddy, what's wrong with Daniel?" she asked.

Jacob looked at her and saw that she was on the verge of tears. "I'll explain when we get home, sweetheart. But Daniel is going to be all right. I promise."

Daniel drifted into sleep on the way to the Carters' home, which was a relief to Jacob. Once they arrived, he carried the boy to the master bedroom and laid Daniel down after Laura pulled back the covers. He removed the child's shoes and tucked him in.

"Jacob, what happened?" his wife asked.

The captain began to pace. He was upset, and the pacing was an effort to calm down.

"He had a flashback, Laura! A flashback, just like a lot of the guys who've come back from Nam. What the hell happened to him?"

"My God," Laura whispered.

"He should be getting treatment, not shoved into a foster home with strangers, tossed into a school he's never been to before, and left to deal with it on his own. You damn well better believe that I'm going to be talking to some people about this. What a crock of shit!"

"Jacob. Your language," Laura whispered, afraid that their kids would hear.

Jacob stewed in silence for another minute.

"Sam is scared," his wife said. "You need to talk to her and explain this."

Jacob nodded. He took a deep breath, calming himself. He and Laura then went to the living room. Sam was on the couch, hugging a pillow to death. It looked like she'd been crying. Mark was reading one of his comics, acting like he had no interest in what was happening.

"Daddy?" Sam inquired in a tiny voice.

Jacob sat beside her. "Okay, first of all, Daniel is sleeping, and he'll be just fine. I need to explain to you what happened. Daniel had what's called a flashback. Sometimes, when something terrible happens to someone or they see something really bad, the memory of what happened will suddenly come back so strong that it's like it's happening all over again. The person can't tell the difference. I think that concrete block falling triggered Daniel's flashback, although I don't know why."

"What was the flashback of?" Sam asked.

"I don't know, Sammie. I wish I did. It must have been something pretty bad."

"He'll be okay?"

"Yes, he'll be fine. He just needs some rest and for all of us to be very gentle with him after he wakes up."

"Is he going to have another one?" Mark asked.

"Not today and, hopefully, not ever again." Jacob gave his two children a long, hard look. "I don't want either one of you to talk about this after Daniel wakes up. You got it?"

The kids nodded.

"Now, get this straight. Having flashbacks doesn't mean that someone's crazy or weird or anything like that. It's happened to many people. A lot of men in the Armed Forces, people just like me, have had flashbacks after being in combat."

"Have you ever had one?" Mark asked.

"No, thank God, but there are a few men I've served with who have. It's a rough thing to go through, even more so for a child." Jacob's gaze focused on Mark. "So I want you to be nice to him, and I don't want you speaking one word about this at school or to your friends. That will just make it hard for Danny."

"I won't say anything," Mark promised.

"You called Daniel 'Danny'," Sam said to her father.

"I did?"

"Uh huh."

Jacob thought about it. "Yes, I guess I did."

"Why don't you two go to your rooms," Laura suggested.

"But I want to be here when Daniel wakes up," Sam said.

"We'll let you know when he's awake."

The kids left, Sam quite reluctantly.

Jacob got off the couch. "I need to call Mrs. Underwood."

"Are you going to tell her what happened?"

"Not over the phone. She probably has no clue what's really wrong with Daniel."

Jacob called the woman and told her that Daniel wasn't feeling well and was resting at the Carters. He assured her that the boy would be brought home as soon as he was well enough.

Throughout the next hour, Jacob and Laura took turns checking on Daniel. It was Jacob's turn when the boy woke up.

Confusion and a touch of fear filled Daniel's face. Then he saw Jacob and sat up.

The captain sat on the edge of the bed. "Hey there. How are you feeling?"

His head bowed, Daniel's shoulders shrugged.

"Do you remember what happened?"

The child started hugging himself, hunching over in an apparent attempt to make himself smaller.

"Hey. It's okay, Daniel. I understand what happened. I've had friends that the same thing happened to."

That got the boy to look at him.

"They're called flashbacks," Jacob explained. "I know they can be very scary. Have you had any before?"

After a while, Daniel gave a hesitant nod.

"How many other times?"

The boy raised two fingers.

Jacob cursed silently. "And have you been having bad nightmares, too?"

The head ducked again, moving slightly up and down.

"How often?"

Daniel didn't reply, and Jacob guessed that he couldn't answer by showing fingers, which meant that there had been a whole lot of nightmares.

Jacob felt like pulling the little boy into his arms and holding him tight, but he didn't think that Daniel was emotionally ready for something like that. The child's posture was screaming that he wanted to go hide somewhere and be alone.

"Do you feel up to seeing Sam?" Jacob asked. "She is very worried about you."

After a moment, Daniel nodded.

Jacob went to his daughter's room and told her that Daniel was awake. The girl was instantly running to the master bedroom. Before Jacob could tell her not to, she was on the bed and hugging Daniel. The boy froze for several seconds, stiff and unresponsive, then, much to Jacob's surprise, he relaxed and laid his head against Sam's shoulder, actually returning the hug.

_'Well, I'll be,'_ Jacob thought to himself with an inner smile.

The two friends remained that way for a few more seconds, then drew apart.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked Daniel. He nodded his reply.

"Would you like to lie down for a while longer or come into the living room?" Jacob asked. The boy answered by getting out of the bed and putting on his shoes.

Upon their arrival, Laura went to the kitchen to get some juice for the two kids. The smile she put on her face was a bit strained, but Jacob doubted that the children noticed.

The two adults chatted about this and that, keeping the conversation light. Daniel sat in silence, sipping on his juice, not looking at anyone. Sam was right beside him, her arm around his shoulders.

"Daniel, would you like to go home now?" Jacob asked after the juice was gone.

Sam objected. "Can't he stay longer?"

"Not too much longer, Sammie. Mrs. Underwood is probably concerned. I called her and told her that Daniel wasn't feeling well."

Daniel picked up his backpack, which had been sitting on the coffee table, and held it tight against his chest.

"You don't have to go yet, if you don't want to, Danny," Jacob said gently.

Daniel got off the couch, which told Jacob that he was ready to go now. He probably wanted to be alone.

"Say goodbye to him, Sam," the captain told his daughter.

The girl, looking very unhappy, said goodbye and gave Daniel another hug, which he did not return.

"Can I come with you to take him back?" she asked.

"No, I need to talk with Mrs. Underwood."

A while later, Jacob and Daniel were at the boy's foster home.

"Hi, Daniel," his foster mother greeted with a smile. "Did you have fun?"

Daniel nodded slightly.

"He's still not feeling well," Jacob said.

"Oh. Well, go on to your room, then," Mrs. Underwood instructed.

Once the boy had disappeared around the corner, Jacob turned his attention to the woman who was his guardian.

"Can we talk in private?" he asked. "It's about Daniel."

The woman looked slightly startled by the request. "Um . . . yes, I suppose so." She joined him on the porch and shut the door almost fully, leaving it open just a crack. "Was there trouble?"

"Mrs. Underwood, are you aware that Daniel is suffering flashbacks and frequent nightmares?"

The woman blinked several times. "I-I-I. . . . No. I mean, I knew he was having some nightmares since he sometimes cries out in his sleep, but flashbacks?"

"He had one at the park, and he admitted that it wasn't the first one."

"Oh my lord! I had no idea. I thought that only happened to veterans, like the men who have fought in Vietnam."

Jacob didn't bother commenting on that. "Do you have any information at all about Daniel's history?"

"Well, yes, some. I know that he spent a lot of time in other countries, Egypt mostly, although I understand that he does have U.S. citizenship. His parents were archeologists."

"And you don't know what happened to them?"

"No. They were killed quite suddenly is all I know. It happened in New York City."

"Were they living there at the time?"

"I would assume so," Mrs. Underwood replied.

"What's Daniel's last name?"

"Jackson."

Jacob paused. "Ma'am, do you know why Daniel was put in the first grade?"

Mrs. Underwood glanced back over her shoulder through the crack, as if looking to see if someone was there. "Well, I don't like to talk about such things. It isn't kind, you know. But, well, Daniel is . . . slow, the poor thing. The school decided that first grade would be the best place for his, um, limited intelligence."

Jacob let out a snort of disgust. "The people at that school aren't very bright, then, nor very observant. If they'd bothered doing a bit of investigating and took the time to question Daniel, they'd have found out that, not only is he not slow, he's actually extraordinarily brilliant."

"He . . . he is?"

"From what little I've learned after just spending a few hours with him, I'd say he has a genius level IQ."

"B-but the way he acts. And he doesn't talk."

"It's obvious to me that he acts that way because of what's happened to him. That kid saw or suffered something that traumatized him so badly that he's having flashbacks about it."

Mrs. Underwood looked like her legs were about to give out. "I-I didn't know. I had no idea. We were told that Daniel had gone through a bad experience and that he was very withdrawn because of it. He wasn't abused. I know that. We're always told when we foster an abused child. I just thought that he was upset about his parents' death."

Jacob could think of a few choice words he'd like to say to the people who were Daniel's caseworkers.

"What should I do?" Mrs. Underwood asked, twisting the hem of her blouse.

"Daniel should have some kind of therapy to help him recover."

"Oh, but we couldn't possibly afford that, and I don't know if the State would pay for it. Won't he eventually get over it by himself?"

Jacob had to stop himself from saying something nasty. The woman was obviously out of her depth on this. The real people at fault were the ones in Child Welfare who handled Daniel's case.

"I'll do some checking on it," he said.

"Oh, would you? That would be so kind of you."

"Just don't treat Daniel differently. Don't walk on eggshells around him. However, you might want to consider not treating him like he's mentally slow. From what I could see, he likes to be helpful. Give him chores to do, if you don't already. And he's an avid reader, from what my daughter tells me. She's seen him with two books that are not children's books."

"Yes, I know he likes books, but I just thought he was mostly looking at the pictures."

"Well, he's not. Take him to the library, and I bet you'll be surprised by what he checks out. He's into history, especially ancient Egypt."

"How did you find out all of this?"

"From my daughter and through observation, Mrs. Underwood. It didn't take much effort."

The woman must have heard the slight note of censure in his voice, because her back stiffened, and her tone turned slightly frosty.

"Well, if you will excuse me, I need to get back inside. I have three other foster children besides Daniel to care for. Thank you for taking care of Daniel."

The woman opened the door and stepped back inside. Jacob nodded to her and left. 


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

As soon as Jacob got back home, Laura asked how things had gone. He told her everything.

"I can't believe the Child Welfare people could be so negligent," she said. "How could they not know that Daniel needed psychological help?"

"Maybe they did and just chose to ignore it, hoping it would eventually resolve itself."

"That's just terrible. He is such a sweet little boy. It breaks my heart what he's going through."

"Yeah. I've got to make a phone call, ask a favor from someone."

Jacob went into his study and shut the door. He dialed the number of an old friend.

"Hey, Brad, how are you doing?"

"Jacob. I'm doing good. It's nice to hear from you. Have you talked to George lately?"

"Oh, not in a few months. You know that he's stationed in the mountain in Colorado Springs, right?"

"Yep, that's what I heard. So, to what do I owe the pleasure? Or are you just in the mood to chat about old times?"

"I wish this was a social call, but I need some help, some information, actually. I need to find out the details on the death of two people, husband and wife archeologists. From what I know, it happened in New York City and probably took place a month or two ago, maybe less. Their last name was Jackson. I don't have first names. They had a son, Daniel."

"Is this something that the military would have an interest in, Jacob?"

"No, it's strictly personal. It has to do with the boy. I just need to know how and where they died and if there's anything . . . out of the ordinary about the whole thing." Jacob thought of something. "Oh, and, while you're at it, could you find out what you can about the male parents of both of them?"

Brad chuckled. "Sure, Jacob. Would you like me to tell you what the Jacksons had for breakfast on the morning they died?"

Jacob smiled. "No, that won't be necessary. Thanks for doing this, Brad. I could probably go searching through the obits of old newspapers, but that would take a long time and wouldn't give me all the info I want."

"All right. I'll see what I can come up with. What number should I call you at?"

"Oh, I'm in a new place, Rome, New York. I'm stationed at Griffiss. I'm on leave right now, so call me at home." He gave his friend the number.

"It might take a couple days for me to have something for you," Brad told him. "I probably won't be able to get started on it until tomorrow."

"That's all right."

It turned out that Jacob didn't have to wait as long as he'd thought. It was just after lunch the next day when Brad called.

"Well, that didn't take long," Jacob said, having taken the call in his study.

"That's because I realized last night that I already knew the story. I'm surprised that you didn't know about this yourself. It made the headlines."

"What did?"

"Melburn and Claire Jackson were killed in an accident at the New York Museum of Art last month."

Jacob frowned, not recalling the story. "Exactly when did this happen?"

"On the twenty-fourth."

"Well, that explains why I didn't hear about it. We were on the road, moving all our stuff here, and then we were busy unpacking. I was off out of town right after that. I wasn't paying attention to the news."

"Well, it was a bad one. Since you said that your interest had something to do with the boy, I dug for information specific to him. He saw it happen, Jacob. The chain holding an Egyptian coverstone snapped, and it fell on them. The kid saw his own parents get crushed to death."

_'Dear God.'_ Jacob lowered himself into a chair, horrified by the news.

"After I found that out, I made a few more inquiries. I guess that, for a while, people just ignored the kid as they tried to dig the Jacksons out. Then somebody woke up to the fact that the boy was watching the whole thing and stuck him in a storage room. He was there for a good three or four hours before the cops took him away. He was catatonic by then."

Jacob was almost starting to feel sick.

"He was taken to a hospital. It was three days before he came out of the catatonia."

"Damn," Jacob cursed, closing his eyes.

"Yeah. The poor kid was seriously messed up."

Now it all made sense to Jacob. The reason for Daniel's behavior was crystal clear. It also made Jacob even angrier over the actions of boy's caseworkers. They must have known what happened, yet they put him right into foster care, basically abandoning him to the system.

"So, what is your interest in this?" Brad asked.

"Daniel Jackson goes to the same school as my kids. Sam's made friends with him. I knew that something was really wrong with him, especially after I saw him have a flashback, but I didn't guess it was this bad. Were the Jacksons living in New York at the time?"

"No, they were just there for the set-up of the exhibit. They came straight from Egypt. They were part of the archeological team that excavated the coverstone."

"What did you learn about Daniel's grandfathers?"

"Well, Terrence Jackson died twelve years ago from cancer. Nicholas Ballard, Claire Jackson's father, is an archeologist. He's in Belize. I guess he's kind of a nutcase, insisted that some crystal skull he found there teleported him to where he met giant aliens."

Jacob laughed. "You're joking."

"Nope."

Jacob decided that maybe it was just as well that Daniel didn't go live with his grandfather after all. The last thing that boy needed was to be taken care of by a crazy old man.

"Thanks for finding all this out, Brad," Jacob said. "I owe you one."

"Uh huh, and don't think I'm not gonna collect on the debt."

"The thought never crossed my mind."

"Well, I need to get going. The wife's pissed off at me for taking time out of the first free weekend I've had in two months."

"Oops. Sorry about that. I'll talk to you later."

When Jacob came out of his study and Laura saw the look on his face, she knew that something was wrong. Fortunately, Sam was in her room, suffering through being grounded, and Mark was out with friends, so they didn't have to wait to talk.

"What did you find out?" she asked.

Jacob told her. Tears filled Laura's eyes, a couple spilling down her cheeks as she pressed a hand against her mouth.

"Oh, Jacob. That poor little boy. When I think about what he saw. . . ."

"I know. It's no wonder he's such a mess."

"What can we do about this?"

"Well, first thing Monday morning, I'm going to be on the phone with the Child Welfare people who acted so irresponsibly and negligently and find out what the hell they were thinking. After that, I'm going to talk to the school."

"But Jacob, you don't have any authority for that. We're not Daniel's foster parents or guardians."

"No, but we are concerned citizens and taxpayers who pay the salaries of these people. I'll tell them that I'm acting on behalf of Daniel's foster family. Mrs. Underwood did say that she'd appreciate me making inquiries. I'll get it in writing, if that's what they want. It's way past time for somebody to take responsibility and give that boy the help he needs."

Laura wrapped her arms around him. "You are such a good man, Jacob Carter. It's one of the reasons why I love you so much."

They sat in silence on the couch for a couple of minutes.

"I think we should keep what we learned from Sam and Mark," Jacob said. "It would be too much for them to handle, especially Sam. She's really come to care a lot about Daniel."

"I agree. You know, I've never seen her get so attached to someone so quickly."

"Me neither."

"It's going to break her heart when she has to say goodbye to him." Jacob looked at her. "Don't give me that look, Jacob. You know as well as I that, sooner or later, another transfer will come."

"Maybe not. I could put in a request to make this a permanent assignment."

"Would they really go for that?"

Jacob sighed. "No, probably not. Maybe in a few years."

"I guess all we can really hope is that the transfer doesn't come before Daniel is recovered."

"Hon, it could take years for him to recover from this. There are guys who came back from the war five, six years ago who are still dealing with what they went through over there."

"But children bounce back so much faster than adults do. I mean, that's what everyone says."

Jacob shrugged. "Maybe you're right. I hope you are."

* * *

From the moment Jacob Carter woke up that morning, he was on a mission. Unlike other missions he'd gone on, this one would not affect the people of an entire country, just the fate of one little boy.

As soon their office hours began, he was on the phone with the Child Welfare department that would have handled Daniel's case. It took a while for him to finally get Daniel's caseworker on the line.

"Mister Babcock, my name is Captain Jacob Carter. I'm calling on behalf of the foster family for one of the children you're a caseworker for, Daniel Jackson."

"Yes, what is this about?" the man asked, hesitation and a touch of suspicion in his voice. "Are you with the police?"

"No, I'm a captain in the Air Force. I have some questions and a whole lot of concerns about the way Daniel's case was handled. Are you aware of all the facts about the death of Daniel's parents?"

"Yes, I know the details of the case."

"Then you know that the kid actually witnessed what happened to his parents?"

"Yes. I'm sure it was a pretty traumatic moment for the boy, but we see the results of a lot of tragic stories here, Captain Carter. It goes with the territory."

The utter lack of sympathy in the man's voice incensed Jacob. "Oh, and do you see a lot of kids there who are having repeated nightmares and violent flashbacks that leave them virtually catatonic?"

There was a long moment of silence. "Captain Carter, though I have no doubt that Daniel is still dealing with issues about the accident, I'm sure that his foster parents are just overreact—"

"There is no overreacting, Mister Babcock," Jacob interrupted harshly. "With my own eyes I witnessed one of Daniel's flashbacks, and I'm the one who held him as he lay unresponsive afterwards. I fought in Vietnam, as did a lot of my friends. I know what a flashback is."

There was another long pause. "All right. I'm sorry to hear that the child is having a difficult time. We were given a report by the hospital and by the psychiatrist who evaluated Daniel, but it's difficult to gauge the severity of a problem just from written reports. I'll be sure to add a note to his file."

A note to his file?! Jacob curbed his temper with an effort. "I'd like to know two things, Mister Babcock. The first is why wasn't the family that is fostering Daniel informed of the details of his case? They had no clue that Daniel's parents died horribly right before his eyes and were completely unaware of his psychological history."

"For the sake of the privacy of the child and his family, we only disclose to the foster parents what we consider to be necessary in order to care for the child properly."

"And you didn't think it was necessary for them to know how emotionally and psychologically damaged Daniel is?! Didn't you think that they might be more able to give him the care he should have if they knew about his special needs? Or is it that you didn't tell them because it would make Daniel a difficult child to place?"

"Captain Carter, I object to your accusations!"

"Object all you want. I'm calling it like I see it. Here's my other question. Daniel is an eight-year-old child who witnessed his mother and father get crushed to death. He was catatonic for three days afterwards, is having flashbacks and frequent nightmares, is severely withdrawn, and apparently hasn't spoken a single word since it happened. Why in the hell didn't he receive some kind of therapy?"

"Captain, there are a lot of emotionally and psychologically damaged children that come through our doors. I could tell you all kinds of horror stories. This department can't afford to give all those children the therapy they need. It's just not possible. Our budget—"

"I don't care about your damn budget, Mister Babcock. I care about this little boy who was violently ripped from his life in the most horrible of ways and thrown into a situation that is no doubt confusing and terrifying to him without any care or concern over his psychologically well-being."

Mister Babcock was clearly getting pretty angry now. "I don't appreciate you painting us as unfeeling people, Captain Carter. We do have concern for the welfare of the children we place in foster care. But there is only so much we can do for each individual child. Our caseload is enormous. If you had any idea what we have to deal with, maybe you wouldn't be so quick to judge us."

Jacob decided that it was time to cool down. This wasn't helping. "I know that you probably have a lot to deal with, Mister Babcock. I also know that I wouldn't want your job for all the money on Earth. But something else I know is that, without some kind of treatment, it will probably take many months for Daniel to reach the point where he can interact normally in society and will likely continue to have problems for years to come, which is a terrible thing, especially considering that he very likely has a genius level I.Q."

Jacob heard the rustling of papers, no doubt the man looking through Daniel's file.

"I see nothing about him having above average intelligence," Babcock said. "In fact, he showed indications of being below average in that regard."

"Oh, and do children with below average intelligence speak six languages, read and write five dead languages, read adult-level books, and sculpt copies of ancient Greek ruins out of sand?"

That resulted in the longest pause of all. "Excuse me?" the man finally said.

"You heard me. And here's something else for you to chew on. I learned most of that by spending just a few hours with Daniel at a park. I have to wonder what else could be learned by spending a whole day with him."

There was a lot more paper rustling. "I, um . . . I'll be sure to add that information to his file."

"You do that. I'd guess that, if you people had found that out for yourself, Daniel wouldn't have been mistakenly stuck in the first grade. Oh, and rest assured that I will be informing the school of their mistake as well."

Mister Babcock cleared his throat. "I admit that perhaps we did process Daniel into the system a little faster than we should have. We've had an especially large number of cases over the past few months, and we're swamped. I'll be sure to talk to my superiors about this. We may send someone out to speak with Daniel and the, um . . . the Underwoods and do a reevaluation of the case."

"I'm sure they'd appreciate that," Jacob responded, not hiding the sarcasm.

"Now, I have some work to get back to, so if you will excuse me, Captain. . . ."

"Fine. I'd like you to take down my number. Add it to Daniel's file wherever you please. I have a personal interest in his welfare and would like to be kept informed."

"I'm sorry, Captain, but, since you have no legal connection to Daniel, it would be against policy for us to contact you directly regarding his case. However, I will take your number in case we need to call you for more information."

After giving the man his number, Jacob was just about to end the call when a thought occurred to him.

"Mister Babcock, I'm curious about something. Daniel's parents died in New York City, so why is he here? Why wasn't he placed with a family there?"

"His maternal grandfather was very adamant that Daniel not be kept in New York City. He didn't want his grandson anywhere near the place the child's parents died. It was agreed that, until the boy was more psychologically stable, that would be a good idea."

So, the kid's grandfather _did_ give a damn after all, or at least a little. "So, why Rome, then?"

"It's a small city, which would likely make the transition easier for him, and there were several available foster families in the area that we believed would be suitable for his placement."

After ending the call, Jacob left his study.

"How did it go?" Laura asked. "I heard you ranting."

"Let's just say that it didn't leave me with a glowing impression of those people." Jacob told her what Babcock had said.

She shook her head. "Unbelievable. I guess, though, that we can't really throw stones unless we've been in their position. It must be a very difficult job."

"I suppose so. But when I think of how badly Daniel's case was mismanaged, I have a tough time being sympathetic for the people over there. Thank God that, if anything ever happens to both of us, we've got family that will take in Sam and Mark."

Laura sighed. "It does make you look at things from a new perspective, doesn't it. I've never really given all that much thought to the kids who are put in foster care, what it must be like for them. And what's really sad is that there are so many couples out there who long to have children but can't. Daniel is such a sweet little boy. I know that, once he was better, anyone who adopted him would be so blessed to have him."

Jacob nodded. "I agree."

"So, what's next?"

"I think I'd better call Mrs. Underwood and fill her in on everything. The woman's got some shocks in store for her."

The woman was, indeed, shocked, as well as horrified and appalled when she found out the details on the Jacksons' deaths and the lack of proper action that was taken in regards to Daniel.

"Are they going to pay for his treatment?" she asked.

"Not likely. But I'm not going to give up yet. I'll talk to a military psychiatrist I know. He may be able to suggest someone who'd be willing to work with Daniel for free."

"Thank you so much for your help, Captain Carter. I wouldn't have known what to do about this, and I don't handle confrontations very well."

"I'd like your permission to speak to the school about Daniel's placement in first grade," Jacob said. "Academically, the boy doesn't belong there, but, until he recovers enough to communicate normally, placing him in a higher grade would probably be worse for him. Honestly, he belongs in a special school, but I seriously doubt that would be possible."

"Yes, please do talk to them. Maybe they can suggest something."

Jacob called the school and made an appointment to speak to the principal and Daniel's teacher after school hours. Because it was regarding a child that he had no legal authority to represent, they insisted that at least one of Daniel's foster parents be present. A call to Mrs. Underwood resulted in her agreeing to be there, although it was clear that she'd really rather not be.

By the time all the calls and arrangements were made, it was close to noon, and, on impulse, Jacob decided to go pick up his son and daughter and take them to lunch. And perhaps Daniel just might like to go as well.

The lunch bell had just rung when he parked his car. He headed into the school, looking around for his kids amid the seas of children. He spotted Mark first.

"Dad? What are you doing here?" the boy asked.

"I thought I'd take you and Sam out to lunch."

"Uh, me and some of my friends kind of had plans."

Jacob hid his disappointment. Lately, he and his son had been growing apart. The captain knew that it had a lot to do with the frequent moves and his time away from the family.

"All right. Maybe some other time, then," he said. "Do you know where your sister is?"

"Probably with Daniel. The guys told me that she's been hanging out with him a lot."

"And where would that be?"

"Outside, I guess, under the tree."

Jacob recalled what his daughter had said about the tree. He asked for directions to where the outdoor eating area was, then wished his son a good afternoon.

It was easy to spot the tree, it being the only one of decent size on the school grounds. His eyes dropped to the lone figure beneath it, thinking that he'd seldom seen a lonelier sight than that little boy sitting all by himself as dozens of other kids gathered just a few yards away to eat with friends.

Then a familiar blonde-haired figure came running up to the tree. Jacob smiled as his daughter sat right down beside Daniel. He headed over there.

"Daddy!" Sam cried in delight. "Why are you here?"

"Oh, I thought that you and Mark might like to eat lunch out for a change." The change in Daniel's demeanor upon hearing those words did not escape Jacob's attention. The child's expression had become sad and somber. "And I thought that Daniel might like to join us."

That's it. The tiny spark of life in the boy's face was back.

"Wow, that would be so cool," Sam said. She turned to Daniel. "Wouldn't it?"

He gave a little nod, daring to lift his eyes momentarily to Jacob.

"It'll be just the three of us, though," the captain explained. "Your brother has other plans." He looked at his watch. "We'd better hurry if we're going to get our lunch in time."

Sam jumped up and took her father's hand. Daniel got up more slowly and approached them. Jacob held out his hand to the boy, who looked at it, then up at him. For several seconds, the blue eyes gazed at him with uncertainty, then he hesitantly took hold of the outstretched hand. Jacob smiled down at him and gave the hand a little squeeze. It had been a small step of progress, but a step all the same.

Sam wanted hotdogs, and Daniel was in agreement, so that's what they got, along with fries and soda. They ate at one of the tables outside the restaurant, Sam animatedly chatting about what they'd done in class that morning. Jacob noticed that Daniel appeared to listen to every word, his eyes only leaving Sam when he took a bite of his food. The captain suspected that the boy would be a very good listener when he grew up. He just wished that Daniel would join in on the conversation.

_'Patience, Jacob,'_ he told himself. _'Give him time.' _

Jacob was surprised by how much he enjoyed the lunch and vowed that they'd have to do it again sometime, although, normally, it wouldn't be possible since he'd be working at the base.

The lunch break was nearly over when they got back to the school. Jacob gave his daughter a hug goodbye and told her he'd see her later. She walked off back to class. Daniel took a few steps after her, then paused. He fished into his backpack and got a pencil and piece of paper. He wrote something down and pressed it into Jacob's hand. Then, with a brief look into the man's eyes, he left.

A lump formed in Jacob's throat as he read the note. It had just two words on it: _"Thank you."_

Folding the note and putting it in his pocket, the captain smiled softly, then walked away to his car.

* * *

It didn't take a trained observer to see that Mrs. Underwood was nervous as she and Jacob waited outside the principal's office. Beside her sat Daniel, who had a worried look on his face. Did he think he was in trouble?

When they were called into the office, Mrs. Underwood told the boy to wait for them. He did so without even a hint of complaint.

Mister Parker was a man of medium height and build, mid to late forties. Daniel's teacher, Mrs. Fairchild, was in her fifties, plump and short.

"Now, what can we do for you?" Mister Parker asked. "Is this regarding the fight that happened on Friday? I assure you that the boy who caused it will not be any more trouble. He is presently on suspension with a warning to never do something like that again, on threat of expulsion."

"No, it has nothing to do with the fight," Jacob replied. "It's about Daniel Jackson. First of all, I have to ask how much you know about the death of his parents and the circumstances that led to him being here."

"Very little, actually," Mrs. Fairchild replied. "We were given some information by Daniel's caseworker, but not a great deal."

"Then you probably don't know that Daniel actually witnessed their deaths."

"What?" the man and woman said at the same time, clearly shocked.

Jacob told them the whole brutal truth, what Daniel saw, his days in a catatonic state, the flashbacks and nightmares, everything. Both the principal and the teacher were deeply shaken.

"My lord," Mister Parker said. "We had no clue about any of this. Why weren't we informed?" He looked at Mrs. Underwood, who nervously twisted the strap of her purse.

"I didn't know either," she said. "They didn't tell me."

"This is appalling news," said Mrs. Fairchild. "That poor little lamb. No wonder he's so quiet and shy. You know he hasn't spoken a single word in my class? Not one. I didn't want to push him because I knew he'd recently lost his parents and that he was grieving. So, I just let him be."

Jacob focused his full attention on her. "How is he doing with his schoolwork?"

"Oh, just fine. He's getting A's on all his tests and assignments. Frankly, I think he could go up a grade. We believed, because of the way he acted, that he was, well, mentally slow, but I think that he may not be as slow as we thought he was."

"Given what we now know, I agree," Mister Parker said. "It's obvious that his behavior is due more to psychological trauma rather than a learning disability."

_'Boy, are they in for a surprise,'_ Jacob thought. "I'd like Daniel to come in here now. You need to see something."

The boy was brought into the room. He looked scared, his head ducked very low, shoulders hunched.

"Hey, Daniel," the captain said warmly. "Come sit over here." He patted the chair that had been placed between him and Mrs. Underwood. "I promise that you're not in any trouble. Nobody's mad at you."

Daniel settled in the chair, and Jacob smiled down at him.

"Okay, Danny. Do you remember all that stuff you told me that you can do? Well, I'd like for you to tell Mister Parker and Mrs. Fairchild about it. First, tell them how many languages you can speak."

After a long pause, Daniel held up six fingers.

Jacob took a pad of paper and pencil from the desk and gave them to the boy. "Please write down the names of each of those languages."

The child did so, and Jacob handed the pad to the principal. The man stared at the paper, then at Daniel.

"Daniel, is this true?" he asked.

The boy nodded.

"Can you write in all these languages as well?" When he got another nod, he wrote a simple sentence on the pad and gave it back to the boy. "Can you translate that sentence into all the languages you know?"

Daniel answered by getting busy on the translation. It took several minutes, but, at last, he handed the pad to the man, whose eyes grew progressively larger as he scanned the writing. Then he frowned. "What are these?" he asked, pointing at some characters and symbols he didn't recognize.

Jacob looked at them and smirked. "Ah, those are probably the five dead languages Daniel knows. You did tell him to translate the sentence into every language he knew." He pointed at one row. "I believe those are hieroglyphs."

Mister Parker stared at them more closely. "By jove, they _are_ hieroglyphs!" He gaped at the child. "Daniel, how do you know all these languages?"

Jacob was the one to answer the question. "His parents taught him. They were archeologists. He spent a great deal of his childhood in Egypt and traveling with them all over the world."

Mister Parker stared at the paper. "This is . . . this is extraordinary."

"Daniel is also reading books that are well beyond the reading level of my daughter, who is in the third grade."

The man's expression changed to embarrassment. "Well, it looks like we made a serious error in judgment when it came to his grade placement. We had no previous school records, nothing to tell us that he was gifted. We will, of course, rectify this immediately."

"I'd like to discuss that with you," Jacob quickly said before the man could continue. He looked down at Daniel. "You did very well, Danny. Could you please go back out to the bench? We won't be much longer."

The child left the room.

"Though I agree that, academically, Daniel should be in a higher grade," Jacob said, "I'm worried about him emotionally. In the higher grades, his lack of communication and other problems will be even more of a stumbling block. And I'm betting that he will get teased even more by the kids in his classroom if he's put in a higher grade."

"You may be right," Mister Parker said, "but I can't, in all conscience, leave him in first grade. It is far beneath his abilities. He'll stagnate there."

"I suppose that a tutor would be out of the question."

The man shook his head. "We don't have any program in place for free tutoring, and I would assume that the family could not pay for such a thing." He looked at Mrs. Underwood, who appeared to be very embarrassed.

"No," she admitted.

"And I doubt that the state would pay for it."

"Not likely," Jacob responded. "They won't even pay for the psychological treatment Danny needs."

"Then I see no other alternative. For now, we will only move him up one grade. We'll keep him there for the rest of the semester. After the winter break, if we think it's warranted, we'll move him up to the third or possibly fourth grade. I dearly wish that we had a free program for gifted children here. The child is obviously extraordinarily intelligent." Mister Parker looked back at Mrs. Underwood. "With your permission, I would like to give Daniel some tests to evaluate his intelligence level."

"Um . . . all right. I guess that would be okay."

They set up a time for the testing, which would be on Friday after school. Jacob asked if he could be present to hear the results. Mrs. Underwood said that was all right, so the principal agreed.

Everyone got to their feet. Mister Parker shook Jacob's hand.

"Thank you for bringing all of this to our attention, Captain Carter. I'm rather embarrassed by our blunder."

Jacob decided that the man was a good sort, and, really, the blame for this mostly belonged to the people at Child Welfare.

"I'm just glad that we found all this out," he responded. "Daniel is a remarkable child, and I want to see things improve for him."

* * *

Back when I was in grade school, my father worked the graveyard shift, which left his afternoons open. On many school days, he came and took me out to lunch. My favorite place to eat was a fast food place that specialized in hotdogs. It's one of my fondest childhood memories, and I decided to incorporate it into this story.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Daniel helped Mrs. Underwood clean up the table after dinner. He liked being helpful. She'd never made him do anything before, except make his bed and keep his room clean, but, now, he was getting a few other chores. He didn't know why things had changed all of a sudden, but he was glad they did. Mrs. Underwood seemed happy to have the help.

Once the dirty dishes were in the sink and the table wiped off, the woman sat on one of the chairs with her usual evening cup of tea.

"Daniel, please come sit down. We need to talk about something."

Now worried, Daniel took a seat. He tried to think if he'd done something wrong or something that would make her mad at him. When he came home on the day of the fight, he was certain that she'd be mad, but she wasn't. He hadn't done anything wrong since then that he could remember.

"It's about your schooling, Daniel. The school has decided that you don't belong in the first grade. You're a very smart boy and should be in a higher grade. For now, they'll be putting you in the second grade. That's going to start tomorrow."

He wouldn't be in the same class anymore? All the kids in his present class were one or two years younger than him. Because he was bigger, they mostly stayed away from him and never talked to him, which was okay with him. It was a lot better than the looks, comments and teasing that he got from the older kids. If he was put in a higher grade, he'd be with some kids who were his age, kids that would bother him about why he didn't talk, why he wasn't the same as them.

"I'm sure you'll like the schoolwork much better in the higher grade," Mrs. Underwood said. "I know that some things might be harder on you, but, all in all, it will be better for you. I promise."

Daniel did not refute her claim. All he could do was accept this new change in his life. He had no say or control over his life now, not since Mom and Dad died. Every day, he waited to see what else would happen, what other terrible thing would take place. He was alone, so completely alone, living with people he didn't know, in a culture that didn't feel like his. He longed for the hot deserts of Egypt, the sounds, smells and tastes. He wanted to be on a dig, unearthing ancient treasures. But Egypt was lost to him, and it would never be the same without his parents. They and his old life were gone forever, and he needed to accept that.

Feeling tears yet again sting his eyes, Daniel gave Mrs. Underwood a nod and got up. She guessed correctly that he wanted to leave and gave him permission to go.

In the solitude and safety of his room, Daniel let the tears come. He picked up the book on ancient Egypt that had belonged to his parents and held it to his chest. He closed his eyes and brought their faces into his mind, smiling and happy. He thought about moments with them, the things they taught him, the way they loved him. Nobody else would love him like that, not ever, and he would never, ever love anybody as much as he loved them. He didn't want to love anybody else. If he did, they'd just go away, too, leaving him all alone.

Daniel had made a promise to himself that, when he grew up, he'd be just like his parents. He'd be an important archeologist and go on big digs. He'd go all over the world, but his home would be in Egypt. He'd become somebody that his parents would be proud of. Maybe even Nick, who didn't want him, would be proud and would finally let Daniel call him Grandpa.

That night, Daniel had another nightmare of the coverstone falling, his mother's scream. He awoke in tears, an abbreviated cry on his lips. He sat up in bed and hugged his knees to his chest, burying his face against them. He wanted his mom there to soothe away the badness, to sing him a song and lull him back to sleep. But she wasn't going to be there to do that ever again.

Sometimes, he wished that he'd died with them. The ancient Egyptians and many other cultures believed in life after death, that, when you died, a part of you still lived on. Maybe if he'd died, too, he'd now be with his mom and dad, and they'd all be happy. He wanted to be with them more than anything.

Daniel got the book on Egypt. Picking up the little flashlight that Mrs. Underwood had given him, he hid under the covers and turned the flashlight on.

He turned to the first page and stared at what was there. "Property of Melburn and Claire Jackson" was scrawled in his father's familiar handwriting. Underneath it, in the finer, neater writing of his mother, was "and Daniel Jackson", that second part having been added two years ago.

Daniel ran his fingers over the ink, thinking of that day he'd been given part ownership of the book. He began turning the pages, his eye roaming words he'd already seen many times. He'd nearly memorized the book. But it didn't matter if the words were all familiar to him. It was their book, his book, one of the only tangible connections he had left to them.

As the minutes passed, Daniel's eyes grew heavy, and he finally drifted back into sleep, the beloved book beneath his cheek.

The next morning, Mrs. Underwood took Daniel to school. They got there earlier than he would have by bus. There were only a few children there, and Daniel liked it better.

They went straight to the principal's office. After a brief talk with the man, Mrs. Underwood said goodbye to Daniel and left. The principal then took him to his new class and introduced the boy to his new teacher. The man then left to go back to his office.

Mister Greer was a very tall, big man who looked pretty scary. But when he smiled, his eyes and entire face smiled. Then he didn't look so scary.

"I'm pleased to meet you, Daniel," Mister Greer said. "Mister Parker has told me all about you. I understand that you are quite the reader and that you can speak several languages. Is that right?"

Daniel nodded, hoping the man didn't expect him to say anything.

"Well, that's fine. I focus a great deal on spelling and English in my class, so I think you'll fit in well here. So, what other subjects do you like?"

The teacher handed Daniel a piece of chalk, which surprised him. He went to the chalkboard and wrote "Archeology, Egyptology, ancient history and cultures, social studies, geography." After a short pause, he added geology to the list.

"Thank you, Daniel," Mister Greer said. "That's quite a list. I see you didn't put math down. You don't like math?"

Daniel shrugged. Math was okay, but it didn't interest him that much. Math was just a bunch of numbers. Language and history were alive to him. They spoke to him just as they did to his parents.

"How about science?" Daniel gave him another shrug. "Well, I'm sure that you'll do just fine with both of those." The teacher handed him some papers. "These are the recent work assignments I've given the class. That one on top is this week's word list."

Daniel glanced at the words, which were all familiar to him. He already knew these.

"I'm guessing that you already know those words."

Daniel hesitated before nodding, not sure if he should admit that.

The teacher smiled. He gave Daniel another piece of paper. "This is the word list I want you to learn."

Daniel looked at it and was surprised. These were much bigger, harder words. He knew many of them, but some were unfamiliar.

"So, how many of those words do you know?"

Daniel did a count and held up ten fingers, then another four.

"Hmm. Fourteen out of twenty, huh? I guess I'm going to have to come up with even harder words for you."

Daniel looked at the man, who was smiling at him. Mister Greer seemed to be pleased about something. Was he happy that Daniel already knew so many of the words?

The teacher took him over to one of the desks. "This is your desk. Put whatever of your things you want in the drawer, then take your backpack to your locker. Your classmates will be arriving soon."

Daniel did as he was told. There were a lot more kids there now, many of the buses having arrived.

Daniel was about to go back to his classroom when he saw Sam. She didn't notice him, which gave him the opportunity to watch her. He didn't know what to think about the little blonde-haired girl. It seemed like she wanted to be his friend, but he didn't know why. None of the other kids wanted to be his friend. Most of them avoided him, except for the ones like Bud, who wanted to cause trouble. Yet Sam had defended him against Bud, had stuck up for him when nobody else would have. She had her lunches with him and had played with him in the park. And she was nice to him, really nice, even though she didn't have to be.

Daniel liked the lunches, liked the way she made him feel when he was with her, as if he wasn't quite so alone. When she hugged him that day he had what Mister Carter called a flashback, it had felt good, made him feel like somebody cared about him.

He wished she could be his friend, but he didn't think it was safe to have friends. Friends could go away, too, just like family.

At that moment, Sam saw him. She smiled brightly and came over.

"Hi! Daddy said that you were going to be put in the second grade. Is that happening today?"

Daniel answered with a nod.

"That's neat! You're way too smart to be in first grade. You should probably be in like fourth or fifth. I wish you were put in third grade and in my class. That would be great."

Daniel wasn't sure he'd like it in third grade since some of the kids would be even older, but being in the same class as Sam would be kind of nice. He knew that she liked math and science, two things that he wasn't as good at, and that she didn't have a lot of interest in English and history. Maybe they could have helped each other to do better in the subjects they weren't quite as good in. He'd love to tell her all about the cultures and history he knew about, the interesting myths, legends and lore with which his parents filled his head.

"Are we still going to have lunch together?" Sam asked. "It's raining outside, so we can't have it under the tree. It'll have to be in the cafeteria."

Daniel hated the cafeteria. It was noisy, there was no privacy, and the other kids stared at him and whispered things about him. But if Sam was with him, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

He gave her a nod, which seemed to make her happy.

The girl named Louise came over, and Daniel wanted to tell her to go away. She was probably there to take Sam away to be with her other friends. But maybe Sam would rather be with them. Why would she want to be with him when she could have lots more fun with her girlfriends?

"Hi, Sam," the girl said, giving Daniel only a brief glance. "Me, Sandra and a couple of the other girls are going to have lunch together, and we wanted you to eat with us."

Daniel's heart sank. Sam would now ask him if she could eat with them instead, and he would have to eat alone in the horrible cafeteria, surrounded by kids who didn't like him. Maybe he would go eat under the tree after all, regardless of the rain.

Daniel was so sure of what Sam was going to say that he was utterly stunned when, instead, she said, "Thanks, but I'm eating with Daniel today."

The boy stared at her, astonished. She was choosing him over her friends? Why?

Louise didn't look happy about her invitation being turned down. She glared at Daniel.

"You've been eating with him almost every day," she said.

Sam's chin lifted. "So? He's my friend, and I like eating with him."

Daniel felt something warm grow in a place deep inside him. Sam really did like him. She wasn't spending time with him just to be nice. She really was his friend. Daniel so badly wanted to be a friend back to her, but he was afraid to be. What if she went away? Then he'd be all alone again.

"Whatever," Louise said, sounding disgusted. She walked away in a huff.

Sam turned back to Daniel. "I don't think I like her as much anymore."

The ringing of the bell prevented the girl from saying anything more on that subject.

"I'll see you at lunch," she said, then headed off to her class.

Feeling happy, Daniel went to his own class. The happiness died the moment he stepped through the door. The eyes of everyone in the room went to him. Avoiding all those eyes, Daniel went to his desk and sat down. He heard a couple kids in the back whisper to each other, one of them snickering.

Mister Greer tapped a ruler on his desk. "Settle down, class."

Daniel was dreading what he knew would come next, introducing him to the class. He was surprised when that didn't happen. Instead, the teacher looked around at everyone and said, "I hope you all came back with completed homework assignments today. I'm not going to accept any more excuses in that regard . . . and that includes saying that your dog ate it."

Daniel started panicking. Was he supposed to give Mister Greer his homework from his former class? He'd been so preoccupied that he left it in his backpack. He could go get it. It wouldn't take long.

Daniel was tense with worry as the man went from student to student and got their homework from them. As the teacher approached his desk, his throat went dry, and his heart beat faster. He didn't want Mister Greer to be mad at him. More than that, Daniel didn't want to disappoint him. He seemed kind of nice, even if he was scary-looking.

Daniel breathed a silent sigh of relief as the teacher passed right by him and went to the next student.

Once the homework had all been gathered, Mister Greer returned to his desk.

"Okay, yesterday, as always, you were given a new list of words to learn this week. How many of you have gotten started on learning those words?"

Around half the class raised their hand. Daniel didn't know if he should raise his, so he kept it down. Mister Greer was already aware that he knew all those words.

Mister Greer didn't seem happy that only half the kids had started learning the words.

"I know that, to some of you, English and spelling are boring," he said, "but reading and writing are very important things. Your entire life will be affected by how well you can do them. They are the most important things you will learn in school."

The teacher looked around at the students. "I have something new for you to try that I hope will make you more interested in learning how to spell. What I want you to do is make up a story that contains the words in this week's word list. You don't have to use all the words, but the more words you use, the higher your score will be. Your parents are allowed to help you a little, give you ideas, but you must be the one to write the story. It can be as simple as you want it to be, but it must be a real story. Now, I know this might be hard for some of you, so there will be no other homework assignments for the rest of this week. The only other homework you'll have to do is finishing any class work that you don't get done that day. On Friday, instead of the usual test, you will turn in your stories to me. I'll read and grade them all during the lunch break. The best stories will be read aloud to the class."

Daniel felt a thrill of excitement course through him. He thought of all the tales he knew about ancient people and mythical characters. Surely he could write his own story. It could take place in Egypt! Perhaps it could be about Tutankhamun, the boy king who ascended the throne when he was only a year older than Daniel was now. He wondered if he was supposed to use the words that the rest of the class was or if Mister Greer would let him use the special word list. He couldn't wait to get started on his story.

The morning went well. Though Mister Greer never asked Daniel to speak, he didn't ignore him. When the class was working on a project, the teacher wandered around, glancing at what the kids were doing. When he came to Daniel, he watched the boy work for a moment, then smiled and patted his shoulder. Maybe being in second grade wasn't going to be so bad after all.

What Daniel liked was that, just as the teacher had said, he seemed to focus on spelling and English the most. Best of all, after giving the rest of the class a project, he'd come to Daniel's desk and give him a special project just for him, one that was a lot more challenging. Daniel knew that the other students were wondering what was going on, but he didn't care. For the first time since he began going to school there, he was actually enjoying it.

Unfortunately, once he stepped into the cafeteria, the enjoyment ended. Several of the other students stared at him as he walked by. He heard one child whisper the words "weird kid" to his friends. Daniel tried to ignore them, but it wasn't easy. He quickly found a table at the back of the room in the corner and sat down, hoping that Sam would get there really soon.

She arrived a couple of minutes later, spying him after looking around the room for a few seconds. She came over and sat across from him.

"How's your new class?" she asked as she got the things out of her lunch box.

Daniel wrote on the pad he already had out. "I like it. Mister Greer is nice, and he gave me different work than the other kids, harder stuff."

"Really? I didn't get Mister Greer when I was in second grade, and I was glad I didn't." Sam lowered her voice. "He always looked kind of scary to me."

Daniel nodded. "I thought so, too, but I like him."

"So, what's the special work he gave you?"

"I think it's for kids in higher grades. I remember some of the stuff from what I already learned, and that was fourth and fifth grade stuff."

"Wow. You see? I said you were really smart."

Daniel blushed. "I'm not so smart with math and science, not like you are."

"Well, maybe I could help you with that, and you can help me with history and social studies. I really stink at history."

Daniel smiled. "Okay."

They turned their attention to eating. As always, Sam carried the conversation. Up until now, Daniel had been content with it being that way, only writing down a question or reply every now and then, but the voice that had been locked up inside him since he saw his mom and dad die felt like it was ready to come out. He hadn't spoken in so long, though, that he was afraid to talk. He'd think about saying something, and his heart would start beating very fast, and his throat would close up, and he just couldn't get any words out.

The lunch ended without Daniel saying anything. He returned to his class feeling frustrated. The frustration faded as he got immersed in the lessons. But then, a new emotion suddenly arose: mortification.

It happened about an hour before the end of class. Again, Daniel's lesson was different from everyone else's. The curiosity of one of the girls finally got the better of her, and she raised her hand.

"Yes, Barbara?" the teacher inquired.

"Mister Greer, why are you giving him different work to do? I don't think it's fair that he's given easier work than the rest of us."

Daniel's face blushed violently as every head in the room turned toward him, every head except one, that is, which belonged to Mister Greer. He was staring at Barbara.

"Why do you believe that I'm giving Daniel easier work?" he asked.

"Everybody knows that he was in first grade until today, and that he doesn't talk, and that—" She cut herself off quickly.

The man frowned. "And what, Barbara? Say what you were thinking."

The girl blushed and ducked her head. "And that he's not very smart," she mumbled.

"I see." He looked around at the other kids. "Is that what all of you think?"

Nobody dared answer.

"Well, then I think it's time that you know the truth. The work I've been giving Daniel is not easier. It is, in fact, harder, lessons and assignments that I got from the fourth and fifth grade teachers. Daniel may not talk, but he is very smart, especially when it comes to reading, languages and history."

Mister Greer turned to a Hispanic boy. "You speak two languages, right, Carlos? English and Spanish. Well, Daniel here knows six spoken languages and five others that are called dead languages, ones that are no longer used by people."

Daniel's cheeks were getting hotter by the moment. Why did Mister Greer have to tell everyone all that?

The teacher went to the front of the class. "Would any of you like to guess which spoken languages besides English Daniel knows?"

One boy raised his hand. "Spanish?"

Mister Greer nodded. "Yes, that's one of them."

Another child guessed French, and the teacher said that was right, too.

Progressively more kids raised their hands. Some guesses were wrong, of course, ranging from Vietnamese to Swahili, the latter one coming from a boy who watched Star Trek and knew that Uhura was a Swahili name and that she spoke that language.

Finally, all but one of the languages Daniel could speak had been identified. Ironically, it was the one closest to his heart that had not been guessed.

"Any more guesses?" Mister Greer asked. When no one said anything, the man turned to the subject of the conversation. "Daniel, come on up here and write down on the chalkboard the language nobody guessed."

Feeling excruciatingly self-conscious, Daniel walked up to the front. He picked up a piece of chalk and wrote "Egyptian Arabic" on the board, deciding to specify the dialect of Arabic he knew best, though he was familiar with some of the others as well.

The teacher smiled at him kindly. "Thank you, Daniel. You can go back to your seat now." As soon as Daniel was seated, the man looked at the rest of the class. "This should teach all of you a valuable lesson on not jumping to conclusions about people. You all made assumptions about Daniel that were wrong, assumptions that, if you had bothered to get to know him, you'd have found out were wrong. Unfortunately, some of the adults here at the school made the same assumption, and that's why Daniel was put in first grade by mistake."

"So how come he doesn't talk?" Barbara asked. "Is there something wrong with his voice?"

'Please don't tell them. Please don't tell them,' Daniel begged silently, his eyes tightly closed.

"The reason why Daniel doesn't talk is because of something that happened not very long ago. It's a personal thing, and I don't have the right to tell you what it is. Perhaps if any of you become Daniel's friend, and he learns to trust you, he'll tell you himself."

Mister Greer told everyone to get back to their schoolwork. Daniel had a hard time concentrating on his and was only two-thirds of the way through when the bell rang. He stayed at his seat as the other kids left. He knew that a lot of them were staring at him, but he kept his head down.

He was just about to get up when Mister Greer sat down on the chair at the desk beside his, his large frame overflowing the child-size seat.

"So, do I owe you an apology?" he asked.

Confused, Daniel looked at him.

"I'm sorry if what I did embarrassed you or made you self-conscious, Daniel. I'd like to tell you a little story. When I was your age, I spoke with a stutter. I was just as smart as every other kid in my class, but, because of the way I talked, they all thought I was stupid. I eventually overcame the stutter. After that, all the kids who'd called me dumb didn't call me that anymore. But I never quite got over the effects of my fellow classmates cruelly teasing me and making an assumption they shouldn't have."

The man laid a hand on Daniel's shoulder. "I know that you have a reason for not talking, Daniel, and I know that, when you feel that you are ready, you'll find your voice again. Then you'll have lots of friends, and people will know that you are a bright boy. But I couldn't let your classmates continue to believe that you were stupid. I didn't want you to go through more weeks of teasing. I know how much it can hurt. That's why I did what I did. Now that the other kids know some of the truth, perhaps you won't get teased quite so much." Mister Greer smiled. "So, am I forgiven?"

Daniel looked up into the warm brown eyes, thinking that Mister Greer really didn't look all that scary after all. He gave the man a nod.

The teacher smiled more brightly and patted his shoulder. "Good. Now, you'd better hurry or you'll miss your bus. If you didn't get that last assignment done, you can take it home and finish it."

Daniel rushed to his locker to get his backpack, then ran all the way to the bus. He was among the last ones to get on. The boy he sat next to was in his class.

"Can you really speak six languages?" the child asked shyly after the bus began to move.

Daniel nodded.

"Wow. I bet the CIA would want you to translate things for them."

Taken completely by surprise by the comment, Daniel just blinked and stared at him.

Another boy sitting behind them leaned forward, resting his arms on the backrest. "So, you're doing fourth and fifth grade work?"

Daniel nodded.

"Why don't they put you in the fourth grade, then?"

Daniel gave a shrug.

"It's probably because you can't talk. They wouldn't want someone who doesn't talk in the fourth grade."

Daniel turned away from the boy and stared at his lap.

No one else talked to him on the ride, but Daniel was still very glad when it was over. Mrs. Underwood asked him about how his day went, and he told her it was okay by writing it on the little pad attached to the refrigerator with a magnet. He then went to his room and finished the schoolwork he'd brought home. There in the privacy of his room, he got it done quickly.

It would still be a few hours before dinner, and he didn't have any chores to do, so Daniel decided that maybe he'd get started on his story. He realized that he forgot to ask Mister Greer which word list to use. He didn't want to wait until tomorrow, so he decided to use the one the teacher gave specifically to him and try to include as many of the words from the other list as well.

Daniel sat at his little desk for a while, pencil poised above paper, trying to come up with a story. Finally, he had a rough 'plot' in mind and began writing. He was still hard at it when he was called to dinner. He went right back to it after the meal was over and he'd helped clear the table.

By the time he'd gone to bed that night, Daniel was satisfied with what he had so far. He hoped that Mister Greer would like it when it was finished. 


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

When Sam got to school the next morning, it didn't take long for her to hear the buzz about Daniel, how Mister Greer had stood in front of the whole class and told them how smart Daniel was and that he was being given fourth and fifth grade work.

While Sam was putting her stuff in her locker, she saw Louise. Closing the door of her locker, Sam walked by the girl.

"So, he's not as dumb as you thought he was, is he," she said with a smirk on her face. She didn't stay to see the girl's reaction.

When Sam saw Daniel, he looked very much like he wanted to hide. Even more kids were staring at him than before. She came up to him.

"Come on. I know someplace we can go."

She took his hand and led him to the cafeteria, which was virtually empty in the mornings.

"I heard all about what Mister Greer did," Sam said. "I bet that was really embarrassing."

Daniel nodded his head pretty emphatically.

"Well, at least nobody can think that you're dumb now. That's good."

The ringing of the bell prevented any more discussion.

"It's raining again today, but I know a place where we can have our lunch and be all by ourselves," Sam said. "Are you interested?"

Very curious, Daniel nodded.

"Okay, meet me at the lockers at lunchtime."

Among the special work Daniel was given that morning was a fifth grade book on the history of America. Daniel wasn't as interested in American history as he was in ancient cultures, but then he saw that the book began in pre-Columbian times, and his interest heightened. He had been instructed to read the first two chapters, which focused on the major pre-Columbian cultures, from the cliff dwellers and pueblo people of the Southwest deserts to the American Indians of the Pacific Northwest. It had interesting information on their customs, folklore, traditions, economies, systems of government and other things that he hadn't known. He consumed the chapters voraciously and would have happily continued reading, if given the time.

The morning passed quickly, so quickly in fact, that Daniel was quite startled by the ringing of the bell for the lunch break. He was tempted to ask if he could stay in class and read more of the history book, but then he remembered that Sam was going to take him to a secret place to eat lunch.

Daniel went to his locker and got his lunch box. Then he looked around for Sam. He saw her after a moment and joined her.

"Hi," she greeted with a smile. "You ready?"

Daniel gave her a nod.

"You'll need your coat."

After getting his coat, Sam took him outside. They ran through the rain to the covered bench for the baseball teams.

"This is called a dugout," Sam explained, "although this one isn't really dug out of anything. It's where the players who are waiting for their turn sit. They haven't been making you play any sports at P.E. yet, have they?"

Daniel shook his head.

"They'll probably start doing that soon. I don't much like P.E. I'm not really interested in sports very much. I usually play volleyball or handball. I hope they don't make you play on the baseball team."

Daniel had no interest in sports at all and would really rather skip P.E. all together.

As they ate, Daniel kept glancing at Sam. He liked this, just the two of them eating together with no other kids around. Even though they were under cover, it was still damp and chilly, and he knew that it would be more comfortable inside, but Sam had known that he'd prefer the privacy and had done this just for him.

At that moment, Daniel realized that Sam was his best friend, the best friend he'd ever had. He'd had other friends, the children of diggers on archeological sites, kids in the private schools he had briefly attended here and there, but none of them had done the things for him that Sam had. None of them made him feel as good as she did. He was still afraid to care about anyone, but he didn't want to stop feeling this way. He wanted to be Sam's friend.

Sam was chewing on a bite of her apple when she realized that Daniel was staring at her very intently. She swallowed the piece.

"Why are you staring at me?" she asked.

For the longest time, Daniel just kept looking at her, then, in a very quiet voice, he said, "You're my best friend."

Sam gasped, gaping at him. "You spoke." Then she was grinning. "You spoke!" In the next moment, she was hugging him and bouncing up and down on the bench at the same time, the apple forgotten and now on the ground.

At last, Sam let him go. That's when she realized what the words were that Daniel had spoken.

"You're my best friend, too," she said. She got a shy smile from the boy, and she hugged him again. This time, he returned it.

Daniel was not immediately transformed into a chatterbox. He spoke softly, shyly, using few words, but just the fact that he was talking, that they were having a real conversation, made Sam so happy she was just about bursting.

Lunch ended far too soon, both of them hating to part. Sam invited Daniel to come over to her house on Saturday, and he said he'd ask the Underwoods if it would be okay.

* * *

The bus ride home seemed to take all eternity for Sam. She was so eager to tell her parents the news. At last, it reached the base. Sam ran almost all the way to her house. She came bursting through the door.

"Mom! Dad!"

Laura came out of the kitchen and saw the state of her daughter, who was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, her eyes bright and shining.

"What's got you so excited?"

"Where's Dad?"

"He's in the garage, I think."

Sam went to the garage through the door in the house.

"Hey, Sammie. How was s—" His question was interrupted by Sam, who grabbed his hand and started pulling him toward the door. "Whoa! What's going on?"

"Come on! I've got to tell you and Mom something."

Jacob stared at his daughter, seeing the excitement. "Okay. Just hold your horses."

The man put down the wrench he'd been using. Sam led him into the house and to the living room, where Laura was waiting.

"Okay, what's this about?" he asked.

"He spoke!" Sam exclaimed. "Daniel spoke!"

Twin smiles adorned the faces of her parents.

"He did?" Jacob said. "That's wonderful, Sam."

Sam nodded vigorously. "He told me that I'm his best friend."

Jacob and Laura shared a long look, realizing that it had been the friendship he felt for their daughter that broke Daniel from his self-imposed silence.

Sam was still talking a mile a minute. "We talked at lunch, a real conversation. Daniel didn't say a lot, but he was talking, and it was so great."

Her parents chuckled over her excitement and glee.

"Can Daniel come over Saturday? I invited him, and he said he'd ask the Underwoods."

"I don't see why not," Laura replied. "It will be nice to have him over. In fact, if the Underwoods don't object, perhaps Daniel can spend the night."

"A sleepover?! Oh, that would be so great! Mom, could we bake a cake? Daniel likes chocolate."

"Certainly. I think a nice chocolate cake would be just the thing for celebrating this."

"It's too bad Daniel's birthday is already over. Then we could have a party for him."

Jacob laughed. "So, how did a simple invitation to spend the day develop into talk of a party?"

"It's just really great that Daniel's talking again, and we should celebrate," Sam replied.

"Well, how about if we limit the celebration to the cake, okay?"

"Okay."

* * *

Mrs. Underwood was busy with the other kids when Daniel got home, so she didn't talk to him. He went straight to his room to work on his story. During dinner, he didn't say a word, afraid and nervous to speak for the first time to these people who'd been taking care of him.

As he had for the last several days, Daniel helped Mrs. Underwood clear the table.

"Thank you, Daniel," she said afterwards as she lifted her cup of tea to her lips.

Daniel hesitated for a long moment, then said, "You're welcome."

The woman was so startled by the reply that she dropped her tea, which fell with a loud clatter into the sink, the cup breaking. The woman paid little attention to it.

"Oh my word!" she exclaimed. "Daniel, you spoke! When did you start speaking again?"

"Today," he replied shyly.

"Oh, honey, that's wonderful!" She gave him a little hug. She took him out to the living room, where Mister Underwood was reading the paper. "Paul, Daniel's talking again."

The man looked up from his paper. "That's good to hear. I'm glad you finally snapped out of it, boy. You see, Diane? I told you that he'd be fine in time." He then went back to his reading.

Diane took the child back into the kitchen and gave him one of the brownies she'd baked.

"May I go over to Sam's on Saturday?" he asked. "She invited me."

"As long as it's okay with her parents, that would be fine. Where do they live?"

"On the Air Force base."

"Ah. Yes, of course." She smiled and ran a hand through his hair. "It's so nice to hear you talking, Daniel. I'm so very pleased."

Daniel went back to his room a few minutes later, looking forward to the rest of the week.

* * *

The next morning, Daniel maintained his usual silence in class, feeling far too shy and nervous to speak. He had not said anything in class the previous afternoon for the same reason. Talking in the presence of one person was okay, but doing so in front of a whole bunch of people was a different story. Daniel knew that, sooner or later, he'd have to start talking in school, too. Maybe he'd wait until he could talk to Mister Greer in private, then the teacher could kind of ease him into talking during class, like have him read a paragraph. It wouldn't be so bad talking that way.

About half an hour before lunch, something happened to change Daniel's plan. Mister Greer asked a question to which, apparently, nobody else in the class knew the answer. Daniel knew the answer. He also knew that, because he was the only one who did, he should raise his hand. But if he raised his hand, he'd have to talk in front of everyone, and it would be way worse than just reading a paragraph.

Mister Greer was just about to tell the answer when a lone hand was very slowly and shyly raised. The man blinked in surprise when he realized who the owner of that hand was.

"Daniel? Did you want to answer the question?"

In a little voice that the teacher could barely hear, the formerly silent child gave the answer to the question. Every other kid in the room was now staring at him in shock, but Quentin Greer paid no attention to that. He was too busy grinning on the outside and cheering on the inside. It was moments like this, seeing a child overcome a tremendous hurdle, that made being a teacher worthwhile.

"You are exactly right, Daniel," he said. "Good job."

The boy ducked his head, not looking at any of the other kids, who were still staring at him.

It was no surprise to Daniel that, after the bell rang, the teacher asked him to stay behind. After the last student was gone, Mister Greer came up and sat on the corner of a nearby desk.

"Daniel, I can't tell you how happy I am that you're talking again. When did this happen?"

"Yesterday," Daniel replied. He wasn't going to say that it happened at the lunch break. He didn't want Mister Greer to be disappointed that he didn't speak in class yesterday.

The man smiled warmly. "I am very proud of you. I know that it couldn't have been easy, and I'm certain that volunteering to answer that question must have been very hard indeed. That took courage. I won't expect you to answer a lot of questions in class, not right away. We'll take it easy in the beginning. All right?"

Daniel felt a wave of relief wash through him. He knew that Mister Greer would understand.

"Okay," he said.

The teacher smiled and patted his shoulder. "Now, go on and eat your lunch."

Sam had heard the news about Daniel answering a question in class long before she saw him enter the cafeteria. She waved to him, and he came over.

"You answered a question," she said. "That's neat."

"Nobody else knew the answer."

"Everybody's talking about it. They act like it was a miracle or something. You just decided it was time to talk, that's all."

Daniel was grateful that Sam wasn't going to keep making a big deal out of it. It made things easier. Now, if the other kids would only do the same thing and no longer treat him differently, it would be great.

Apparently, he wasn't going to get his wish anytime soon. Three boys came over with their food trays and sat down at Sam and Daniel's table.

"So, we hear that you can talk now," a ten-year-old boy with red hair said.

"Why didn't you talk before?" asked a blond boy of the same age.

"That's none of your business," Sam replied.

"Ah, come on," said the third boy, who had brown hair. "He can tell us. We'll keep the secret. Right, guys?"

The other two boys nodded.

Though Sam was also curious about why Daniel hadn't talked, she didn't like these boys and the way they were pushing her friend. She was about to tell them to go away, when Daniel spoke.

"No," he said, clearly and distinctly.

The other kids looked at him. Though he was obviously nervous and shy, his head was up, his gaze not cast downward.

"No?" the redhead repeated.

"No. I don't want to tell you."

"Why not?" asked the brown-haired boy.

"I just don't want to."

Acting like he didn't care, the redheaded kid said, "Ah, let him keep his secrets." He turned back to Daniel. "So, Mister Greer told everyone that you can speak six languages. I bet that's not true. I told my dad, and he said that there's no way an eight-year-old could speak that many languages."

"It is true," Daniel stated. "My mom taught me a lot of them. She was a linguist."

"What's that?" the blond boy asked.

"Someone who studies languages. She knew nine languages. My dad knew three."

"I still think you're lying," said the redhead.

"What if he could prove it?" Sam asked. "What if he said 'I'm telling the truth' in all six languages?" She turned to Daniel. "Could you do that?"

Daniel would really rather not, but if it would make the boys leave him alone, then he would. He nodded.

The redheaded boy frowned. "Okay, then do it."

Daniel proceeded to say, "I am telling the truth," in all six of the languages in which he was fluent, including English. To top it off, he said it in Italian as well, a language he'd been learning when his parents died.

The three boys stared at him.

"Were those all real languages?" the light-haired boy asked.

"Yes," Daniel replied.

"That was seven, not six," the child with brown hair pointed out.

"I included Italian, which I've been learning."

"So, is that proof enough?" Sam asked, her chin raised.

"He could have been saying anything," said the redhead. "I bet some of those weren't even real, just made up."

Sam glared at him. "If you don't want to believe him, then just go away. Daniel gave all the proof he needs to, and we don't care if you don't believe."

After a moment, the redhead left, taking his tray with him. He was followed by the boy with brown hair. The blond boy hung back.

"I believe you," he said before walking away.

"Some kids can be real jerks," Sam said. "Ignore them. They just don't want to believe that you're a genius."

Daniel's head ducked. "I'm not a genius. I'm just good with languages. My mom said it was a gift."

"You're doing fourth and fifth grade work. I think you're a genius."

Daniel bit into his sandwich. He really didn't think he was a genius, but he didn't mind Sam believing he was.

Daniel managed not to get into any other conversations with kids at school that day, though it wasn't easy. Couldn't they just leave him alone? It wouldn't be so bad if he thought that some of them really wanted to be his friend, but it was just curiosity. Hopefully, they'd soon lose interest in him.

That evening, Daniel put the finishing touches on his story. He wrote a nice clean copy of it with no erased words and put it in one of the sheet protectors Mrs. Underwood bought for him. He was both nervous and excited to give it to Mister Greer, nervous because he wasn't sure it was good enough, excited because he hoped it pleased the teacher. He'd managed to use every one of the words on his personal word list and all but two of the ones on the word list given to the rest of the class. It hadn't been easy, but Daniel had enjoyed the challenge. He really did hope that Mister Greer liked it.

* * *

It was a little after nine when Jacob answered the ringing of the phone.

"Hello, Captain Carter? This is Mrs. Underwood."

"Yes, Mrs. Underwood. What can I do for you?"

"I got a call from Child Welfare today. Daniel's been assigned a new caseworker."

That surprised Jacob. "He has?"

"Yes. Her name is Lucy Merrick. She wants to come see Daniel and talk to us next week. She knows about your involvement in the case and that you're the one who found out all those things about him. I was wondering if it would be possible for you to be here. She might have questions for you."

"That all depends on what time. My leave ends on Monday, so I'll be working."

"She said that we could schedule it for the evening since Paul doesn't get home till six most days. I was thinking eight o'clock. The other kids will be in bed, but Daniel will still be up. I let him stay up till nine."

"Eight would be fine. What day?"

"Monday?"

"That works. We'll see you then."

* * *

The other kids didn't seem to be quite as interested in Daniel when he got to school the next morning as they had been yesterday, which was a relief to him. What surprised him was that some of the students actually said hello to him. Nothing more, just a simple hello spoken in passing. A couple even smiled.

Daniel was putting away his things in his locker when the boy who had the locker next to his arrived and opened his own locker. He was in Daniel's class.

"Did you get your story done?" he asked shyly. "You probably did because you're so smart and are good with words."

Daniel looked at the boy, whose mop of black hair was partially obscuring his face. He was small for his age and quite thin.

"Yes, it's done. Is yours done?"

The boy sighed. "Yeah, but it's not very good. I don't read or spell very well. I know Mister Greer won't like it. I'll probably get a D."

Daniel felt a twinge of sympathy for the boy. "Did you try your best?"

The boy nodded.

"Then that's what matters."

The boy looked up at him with big brown eyes. "Really?"

"Uh huh. Even if you're not good at something, if you try your very best to do it, then that's what counts."

"But my dad always says that winning counts, that losers don't get anywhere."

"You're not a loser if you always try your best. Losers are people who quit. That's what my dad always said. He said that, as long as you keep trying and never give up, it's okay if you don't always win."

The boy smiled. "Thanks. That makes me feel a lot better." He met Daniel's eyes. "You're nice. I'm glad you can talk now."

The comment surprised Daniel and made him feel good. The boy had walked away, so he didn't get the chance to say thank you.

Throughout the morning, Daniel could barely contain himself. He was both dreading and looking forward to what would come after the lunch break, when Mister Greer would give back the graded stories and read aloud the ones he thought were the best. Would Daniel's story be among the ones the teacher would read? He wasn't sure if he'd want that. It would be kind of embarrassing. But it would be nice if his was among the stories Mister Greer thought were good enough to read to the class.

At last the break for lunch came, and the kids all headed out into the halls. Quentin Greer watched them go. Once the classroom was clear, he got his lunch out of his desk drawer. Today, he'd be eating while working, something he did often.

He got started on the pile of stories written by his students. Some made him shake his head and sigh, others made him laugh at the imagination of the author. Several were surprisingly good. On average, the kids managed to use around two-thirds of the words from the word list, which was better than he'd expected. It was obvious that some of the kids really didn't even try. He graded them accordingly. Others clearly did try to do a good job, but were lacking in skill. He gave them better grades to reward them for their effort. He noticed that, yet again, Kenny Robinson had misspelled quite a few words. The pattern of the errors made Quentin suspect that the boy was dyslexic.

The one story that Quentin was most interested in he forced himself to leave till last. He had a feeling that it would be something special, and he didn't want it unfairly influencing his view of the other stories.

Finally, he was down to that last story, Daniel's. As he read it, he forgot all about his lunch, caught up in the tale spun by the mind of the brilliant little boy whose life had been shattered by tragedy. It was beautiful. It told the story of a boy in Egypt who was separated from his parents by bandits. Lost and alone in a strange and frightening desert, the child wandered, trying to find his way home. Along the way, the gods of ancient Egypt came to him. Some were evil and sought to do him harm. Others helped him. Most didn't care either way.

Quentin realized that, in this story, Daniel was painting a picture of himself, a child without parents, lost and alone in a land frightening to him, looking for someplace he could call home. The gods represented the people who'd come into his life since that tragic day, those who'd helped him in some way, the ones who had been indifferent, the few who'd been perceived as a nemesis. The teacher wondered which evil god represented Bud Whitman. He also wondered which of the gods was representative of him, if any at all. He hoped it was one of the few who'd befriended the child in the story.

At the end, the boy was finally reunited with his parents, a happy ending that the author would never have.

Laying the pages down, Quentin just sat there for a while, far more affected by the story than he should be. It saddened him because he knew that it was more than just a fictional story. It had come from the depths of Daniel's soul.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, the teacher read back through the story with an objective eye. He smiled upon realizing that Daniel had used the words from both lists, his and the class's. He'd forgotten to tell Daniel to use his list.

Checking the words off as he came to them, he found that all of the ones from Daniel's list were in the story and all but two from the other list. That was quite impressive. There were some grammatical and punctuation errors, as expected, but, for an eight-year-old, the level of writing skill was extraordinary, equally as good as anything the average fifth-grader could write, perhaps even better.

The child was amazing. What would he be like in another three or four years? He'd be a candidate for early enrollment in college. That was certain. His skills in math and science weren't on the same level as those to do with history and the written word, but, even so, he'd go far, if he could overcome the hurdle of being in foster care. What the boy needed was for someone to adopt him, give him a stable, secure foundation. Unfortunately, most people thinking of adoption wanted babies, and many of the couples who'd be happy to take a child of any age didn't meet the requirements. It was a sad state of affairs.

The teacher's thoughts were interrupted by the bell. Throwing away the trash and putting what remained of his lunch back in the drawer, Quentin cleaned up his desk. He had set aside the stories that he thought were the best. He placed Daniel's on that pile.

"Well, I've read all of your stories," he said after everyone was seated. "I have to say that, all in all, I was pleased by how well most of you did. You gave it a good effort, and I am proud of you for that. Those of you whom I could tell really did try your best, I rewarded with a better grade. I appreciate the effort you put into it."

Quentin picked up the very small pile of stories he'd set aside. "Now, as promised, I'm going to read the stories that I think are the best."

He began reading them one by one, naming the author before beginning each story. Again, he saved Daniel's for last.

"This last story was written by Daniel," he said. He saw the boy's head lift, eyes brightening. "Before I begin reading it, I'll mention that he was given a different word list to learn. He succeeded in using all of those words. Plus, he used most of the words from the list the rest of you got, something I didn't expect him to do."

As he read the story, Quentin occasionally glanced up at the class, seeing that he had a captive audience. He put extra effort into bringing the story to life, even changing his voice a little while reading the dialogue of the different characters. From what Quentin could tell, the story was a hit with most of Daniel's classmates, and several of them looked at the boy admiringly after the end was reached.

The teacher went to each of the students and gave them back their stories with the grade written at the top. He knew that some of the kids were mad about the poor grade they received, those whom Quentin had known hadn't done their best. On the opposite end of the scale was the bright smile on Daniel's face upon seeing the A+ and the word "Excellent!" written underneath.

As usual, Daniel was the last one to leave at the end of the day. The teacher stopped him as he passed by.

"Daniel, I want to say that your story was wonderful. I enjoyed it very much. I liked how you brought the Egyptian gods into it. It was quite imaginative."

Daniel's head dipped shyly. "Thank you."

"If it's all right with you, I'd like to make a copy of it to keep."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Okay." Daniel handed the pages to him.

"I'll get it back to you on Monday, all right?" He got a nod from the boy. "Okay, go on and get to your bus."

"I'm not taking the bus today. Mrs. Underwood told me to wait for her. She said that I have a special test to take today."

"Oh, that's right. I forgot about that."

"Do you know what the test is, Mister Greer? She said it was a test that schools sometimes give to kids. She said it was nothing to worry about and that I'd do fine, that I didn't have to study for it."

"Yes, I know what the test is. It's to see how smart you are."

"Oh. Does it have a lot of math in it?"

"Some. I'm sure you'll do just fine, Daniel. Don't worry. Would you like me to stay with you while you wait?"

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

Quentin smiled. "I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to."

They went to the bench outside the principal's office, which was where Daniel was supposed to wait. As they waited, the teacher slowly managed to coax Daniel into talking about himself, specifically about his life in Egypt. Quentin learned that the boy had been very much a part of his parents' life as archeologists, participating in digs from an early age. The child's knowledge of the country's ancient history, geography and mythology was amazing. He was spouting off with ease the names of historical figures and deities that Quentin knew would leave him tongue-tied. He had to wonder if Daniel had a photographic memory.

Mrs. Underwood arrived just a couple of minutes before the test was due to begin. She hurried up to them.

"I'm so sorry I'm late. The babysitter didn't arrive when she was supposed to."

Quentin held out his hand. "Quentin Greer. I'm Daniel's new teacher."

"Oh! Yes." She shook his hand. "I'm pleased to meet you. Daniel seems to be so much happier now that he's in your class."

"I'm glad to hear that."

The door to the principal's office opened, and Mister Parker's assistant stuck her head out.

"Daniel, Mrs. Underwood, please come in."

"Good luck, Daniel," Quentin said, giving the boy an encouraging smile.

Daniel and his foster mother entered the office.

"Hello, Daniel," Mister Parker greeted. "Has Mrs. Underwood told you anything about this test we're going to give you?"

"Some. Mister Greer told me a little, too."

"Well, it's nothing for you to worry about. You won't be graded on it, and it won't affect your report card."

"It's to see how smart I am."

"That's right. Come on. I'll take you to the room where you'll do the test."

Daniel was led to a small room with a table and a couple of chairs. On the table was a folder.

"The test is in the folder. Don't open it until we leave. Then you can get started."

"How long do I have to finish it?" Daniel asked.

The principal told him. It was a great deal more time than it was for other tests, which made Daniel wonder how hard it was.

"If you need to go to the bathroom, come out and tell us. We'll pause the test so you won't lose any time."

The adults left the room. Daniel opened the folder and looked at the first sheet of paper. Picking up the pencil, he got to work. 


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Jacob strode down the hall quickly, glancing at his watch. He had no idea how long it would take Daniel to finish the test, and he wanted to make sure he'd be there when the boy completed it. He was planning on getting here earlier, but Mark had gotten into a bit of trouble at football practice after school, and he'd had to deal with that.

The captain had heard all about what had been going on with Daniel at school over the past few days. The boy had definitely become a hot topic there.

Jacob came to a stop in front of the principal's door and knocked. He was told to come in.

"Captain Carter. I see you made it," Mister Parker said.

"Yes. I'm guessing that he isn't done yet."

"No, but we didn't expect him to be this soon."

Jacob took a seat. He glanced over at the closed door he figured Daniel was behind. "Is there someone in there with him?"

"No. While a typical IQ test requires that it be taken be under supervision, there are a few unsupervised tests, which are generally geared to measuring high intelligence. Also, many standard tests include verbal questions and answers, but since, at the time we made arrangements for this test, Daniel was not speaking, we arranged for a test without them. We may want to test him again more thoroughly at a future time. We'll see how this one goes."

Mister Parker picked up several sheets of paper on his desk. "I have something here that you might like to read, Captain. It's a story that Daniel did for a school assignment. His teacher thought I might be interested. It's remarkably good."

"I think it's lovely," Diane Underwood said, having already read it.

Jacob took the sheets of paper and began reading. He was very impressed with the story, finding it hard to believe that it was written by a child so young. He did not fail to see the correlation between what the boy in the story went through and Daniel's life.

Jacob had been there for half an hour when Daniel came out of the room where he was taking the test. The folder was in his hands. He smiled when he saw Jacob.

"Hi, Mister Carter," he said.

Even knowing that the boy had begun talking, it was still a little startling to the captain. "Hello, Daniel."

"Are you all done?" Mister Parker asked. He received a nod. "Okay. I'm going to look it over now. It'll take a little while, so why don't you go with your foster mom and Captain Carter. Perhaps they'll take you to get a treat."

"That sounds like a plan to me," Jacob said.

After finding out from the principal when to return, Daniel, Jacob and Diane left the office. They went to an ice cream parlor, where the boy ordered a banana split.

Jacob quite enjoyed actually being able to have a conversation with Daniel. He noted that the boy seemed to have more confidence, no longer the silent, severely withdrawn child he was when the USAF officer first met him. Jacob knew, however, that Daniel was far from cured and wouldn't be completely over the trauma for quite some time to come. But he was delighted with the transformation in the boy.

When they returned to the school, Daniel was asked to wait out on the bench as Diane and Jacob went inside.

"First of all, I should explain that Daniel was actually given two tests," Mister Parker said. "One was an IQ test. The other was to determine his knowledge and skill level in mathematics, reading and writing, science and history. The reason for that second test was to give us a more accurate picture of how far along Daniel is in his schooling since we have no school records on him and no one to ask. In that test, he scored extraordinarily high in the areas of reading, writing and history. In regards to mathematics and science, he did score higher than normal, but not on the same level as in the other areas. Science appears to be the area in which he is the weakest."

"And the IQ test?" Jacob asked.

"Daniel scored well into what would be considered a genius level IQ, which didn't really surprise any of us, given what we already knew."

"So, what does this mean?" Diane asked.

"Based on these test scores, we are definitely going to have to reevaluate Daniel's schooling. You may be unaware of this, but Mister Greer, Daniel's teacher, has been giving him lessons and assignments created for fourth and fifth grade students. From that, he determined that Daniel could quite easily be put in the fifth grade. Based on the results of these latest tests, the sixth grade would definitely not be out of line, although Daniel might struggle a bit in math and science in that grade. However, we recognize that it would be far too difficult for him to adapt to sixth grade. Taking everything into consideration, my recommendation would be to place him in the fourth grade next semester and arrange for him to continue being given more advanced schoolwork. We can decide later what to do after the summer break, although, if he is psychologically stable enough, my recommendation would be for him to be advanced to sixth grade."

"Do you have any other kids near Daniel's age in the fourth grade?" Jacob asked.

"Unfortunately, this year, there are no children under ten in either fourth grade class."

"Wouldn't it be awfully hard on Daniel to be in a class with kids two years older than him?" Diane asked.

"It will likely take a bit of adjusting, but this is not an uncommon thing. There are many gifted children who are placed in higher grades with kids several years older than them."

Jacob frowned. "What about putting him in the third grade instead, then continue doing what his teacher is now?"

Mister Parker shook his head. "I'm sorry, but that just wouldn't be recommended. We can't keep Daniel in a grade that is so far below his ability level."

"And what about physical education? You can't expect an eight-year-old to go out there and play sports and other physical activities with kids who are so much bigger than him."

"No, of course not. Daniel's physical education will be appropriate to his age." The principal turned to Diane. "You have a while to think about what you'd like to do, Mrs. Underwood. We don't need an answer until shortly before we break for the Christmas vacation. Talk it over with your husband. I should imagine that Daniel's caseworker should be consulted about this as well." He looked at his watch. "I need to call an end to this." He got to his feet and shook Jacob's hand. "Thank you for your concern for Daniel, Captain. I do appreciate it."

* * *

Sam solved the last problem in her homework assignment. She put the papers and other school things in her backpack and zipped it up. Feeling thirsty, she left the room. As she approached the living room, she heard her parents talking and halted at the words.

"I'm just concerned about the boy," her father said. "I have to wonder how emotionally prepared Daniel will be to being stuck in the fourth grade with children two years older than him."

"It won't be until the next semester," Laura pointed out. "Perhaps by then he'll be doing much better. You said yourself that he's already improved a great deal."

"I'm sure he will be, but it will still be rough on him. It would be rough on any child. We decided not to put Sam in a higher grade for that very reason. How would it be any better for a boy who's gone through the kind of emotional trauma Daniel has? The problem is that the school is focusing on his mind, what's best for his mental development, and not worrying about his psychological and emotional well-being."

Sam frowned. The school was going to put Daniel in fourth grade? He'd hate that. He really liked Mister Greer and was happy in his class and the way things were being done. Why did it have to change?

"I do agree, Jacob, but there's nothing we can do about it. We're not Daniel's parents or guardians, so we have no say in this. What did Mrs. Underwood say?"

"That she'll do what the school thinks is best."

Sam ventured out into the living room. As soon as they saw her, they put on happy faces.

"Did you get your homework done?" Laura asked her.

"Uh huh."

Sam came up to her parents. She knew they wouldn't be happy that she was eavesdropping, but she just had to say what she was thinking.

"Daniel won't like it in the fourth grade," she blurted out. "Why can't they leave him in Mister Greer's class? He likes Mister Greer."

Her parents exchanged a glance.

"Sam, were you listening in on us?" Jacob asked.

"Kind of. I was thirsty and came out to get some water, and I heard you talking."

Jacob patted the spot on the couch between him and Laura. The girl sat down there.

"The school is moving Daniel up into the fourth grade because he's too smart to stay in second grade," her father explained. "They think it's much more suitable for him to be in fourth."

"But Mister Greer has been giving him fourth and fifth grade work already. How come he can't keep doing that?"

"It just wouldn't work out for it to stay that way, honey," Laura replied.

Sam started getting upset. "Daniel will _hate_ it in fourth grade. All the kids will be older and will tease him and call him a baby."

The two adults sighed.

"I know it will be hard on him in the beginning, Sammie," Jacob responded, "but, in time, his classmates will probably learn to accept him."

Sam frowned again. Daniel was going to be really upset about this, and she didn't want him to be upset. Why couldn't they put him in the third grade instead, in her class? Then, even if other kids did tease him, she'd be there to make them leave him alone.

That's when an idea popped into Sam's head. Without giving it any thought, she blurted it out.

"Then I want to go into fourth grade, too!"

Her parents blinked and stared at her.

"Sam, honey, I know that you want to be there for Daniel, but we can't move you up a grade in the middle of the school year," Laura said gently.

"Why not? They already moved Daniel up one grade, and they're going to be moving him up two more!"

"That's a different situation."

"Why? Because he's smarter than me?"

"No, Sam," Jacob hastily replied. "That's not it at all. You are very smart. We've already told you that many times." He didn't tell Sam the real reason why the situation was different, that, unlike Daniel, she had loving parents watching out for her.

"But it would be so perfect, Daddy," Sam insisted. "I wouldn't be bored with the math and science anymore. I know I would be okay with the reading and spelling. I'm getting A's on all my tests, except history, and I can try harder on it, and Daniel could help me. And then he wouldn't be the only kid his age in the class, and we could look out for each other, like partners on the cop shows. Please?"

Jacob and Laura just sat and stared at their daughter, surprised by her impassioned plea. Then they looked at each other for a long moment.

"Let's not talk about this tonight," Jacob said. "Your mother and I will discuss it, then we can all sit down and talk about it together."

"But—"

"That's final, Sam."

The girl sighed. "Yes, sir."

"Honey, you mustn't tell Daniel about him being moved up to the fourth grade," Laura told her daughter. "Mrs. Underwood doesn't want to upset him. She's going to wait to tell him until just before Christmas vacation. Can you keep that secret from him?"

"I guess."

Jacob rubbed her back. "Go and get your water, and we'll watch a little TV, okay?"

"And don't sneak any tastes of the frosting on that cake," Laura said.

Later that night in their bedroom, as they got ready for bed, Jacob's thoughts returned to what his daughter said.

"So, what do you think about Sam's suggestion?" he asked his wife.

"She's just worried about Daniel and wants to protect him from more harm."

"Yes, but she does have a point. You and I talked last summer about having Sam's IQ tested and possibly putting her in the fourth grade this year. She's gifted, Laura, and we both know it. At the time, we decided not to do it for the same reason that we're now concerned about Daniel, but if it's what she wants, maybe we need to reevaluate our decision."

"And what happens when we have to move again, Jacob? Sam's main reason for wanting this is to be with Daniel. If we move, she'll still be in a higher grade, but she'll no longer have Daniel as a support system."

Jacob sat on the bed. "Yes, you're right." He looked at his wife. "But I still think we need to give it some thought, and we need to seriously discuss it with Sam."

"Well, we've still got a couple of months before any decision would have to be made. Let's not rush into anything."

* * *

Daniel could barely contain his excitement as Mrs. Underwood pulled up in front of Sam's house. He was going to get to spend the whole day with her and stay overnight, too. He'd never gone on a sleepover before and had checked three times to make sure he had everything he'd need.

As they approached the door, it opened, and Sam came running out.

"You're here! We got the room all ready for you. We put a mattress we borrowed in Daddy's study, and Mom put some of Mark's sheets with racing cars on it. I told her you probably wouldn't like racing cars, but we don't have any sheets with Egyptian stuff." She grabbed Daniel's hand and started pulling him. "Come on, I'll show you!"

Daniel looked up at Mrs. Underwood then at Jacob, who'd come out as well.

The captain chuckled. "Go on, Daniel. You might as well learn now not to keep a lady waiting."

The two children ran into the house, Daniel's backpack banging against his legs all the way.

"Thank you for this," Diane said. "He's been so excited about this sleepover. It's nice to see him happy."

"Yes, it is," Jacob agreed.

Diane handed the man a small suitcase. "Here's the rest of his stuff, a couple changes of clothes, his pajamas and other things."

"Thanks. What time would you like me to have him back to you tomorrow?"

"Oh, there's no rush, whenever is convenient for you. Please call first to make sure we're home, though."

"Sure. I'll probably bring him back in the afternoon. If he stays for dinner, Sam will bug us to let him sleep over another night."

"That will be fine. Well, I need to get back. Paul doesn't like being stuck alone with the kids for very long. The little ones get into mischief."

Jacob said goodbye to her, then went into the house. Sam was with Daniel in the study, sitting on the mattress and babbling away.

Laura joined her husband at the open doorway and smiled as she watched the kids. "She's going to talk his ears right off this weekend."

Jacob chuckled. "Probably so, but I have a sneaking suspicion that lurking somewhere inside that quiet exterior of Daniel's is another little chatterbox waiting to get out. It's only a matter of time before it makes an appearance."

Leaving the kids to entertain themselves, Jacob and Laura went off to the living room.

"Would you like to play a game?" Sam asked her best friend. "We have lots and lots of games, Monopoly, and Scrabble, and Battleship, and Clue, and lots of others."

"I like Scrabble," Daniel said. "I played that with my mom and dad sometimes. I like chess, too."

"Wow, you play chess? Dad plays chess, and he promised to teach me sometime, but he hasn't yet. I play checkers, though, which is kind of like chess."

"I've played that, too."

"Maybe you could play chess with Dad."

Daniel's expression showed his uncertainty. "He wouldn't mind playing with a kid?"

"No, of course he wouldn't. So, you want to play Scrabble or checkers first?"

"Scrabble."

The kids went into the dining room, and Sam got the Scrabble game. She poured all the pieces out on the table.

"Mind if we join you?" Jacob asked as he and Laura came up.

"Uh uh. You can help me, Daddy, and Mom can help Daniel."

The statement surprised the boy.

"Would you like me to help you, Daniel, or would you rather play alone?" Laura asked, seeing the surprise.

"My mom or dad used to help me when I was littler, but then they said I didn't need help anymore."

The woman smiled. "Well, then I'll just play separately, okay?"

"Okay. Are people and place names allowed?" Daniel asked. "Sometimes, we allowed them, and sometimes we didn't."

Jacob thought about it. "Hmm. We've never allowed them before, but we could do it differently this time. Which way do you prefer?"

"With."

Jacob looked at his family. "What do you say?"

"Daniel's the guest, so he should pick," Sam replied. Laura agreed.

"All right. With it is."

It didn't take long for the three members of the Carter family to figure out that allowing the use of people and place names while playing a game of Scrabble with a boy who was virtually weaned on the history and mythology of Egypt and other civilizations had not been such a wise decision. To put it simply, Daniel beat the pants off them. He was constantly putting down words that the others had to ask him about, the names of mythical and historical figures that none of them had heard of, locations that they'd have to look up on a world atlas.

As Daniel used the last of his letters on the word "Danu", which he explained – in a tone reminiscent of a college professor – was an Irish/Celtic earth goddess, the matriarch of the Tuatha Dé Danann, Jacob started laughing.

"Well, I think we all learned our lesson. Didn't we, girls?"

"Yeah. Daniel's way too smart to play Scrabble with," Sam responded, grinning.

"Oh, you can be sure that I'm going to want a rematch, but, next time, no people or place names. I won't make that mistake again." Jacob tousled Daniel's hair affectionately, smiling down at him.

Daniel smiled back at him. The game had been fun, and he'd learned some new words, inquiring every time Jacob or Laura used a word he didn't know. He wouldn't have cared if he lost. For him, winning or losing wasn't as important as the challenge of the game.

"Daddy, Daniel can play chess," Sam informed her father.

"He can? Hmm. I don't know if I dare play with him. He'd probably checkmate me in six moves. How about if we play something that will even the playing field, like a nice game of Monopoly?"

"I don't know how to play that," Daniel responded.

"We can teach you, if you'd like," Laura said.

Daniel's eyes lit with interest. "Okay. Wouldn't Mark like to play, too?"

"He's not here, Daniel. He's spending the day with a friend here on base," Jacob replied. He didn't add that he'd have preferred his son to stay and participate in the family day with Daniel. But he hadn't wanted to get into an argument with Mark, so he'd given permission for the boy to go. Mark would be back before dinner, though, and would be staying home tomorrow. Upon that Jacob had insisted.

After lunch, the Carters gave Daniel a tutorial on the game of Monopoly and helped him from time to time throughout the game, which Laura won.

The rainy weather meant that Sam and Daniel had to do all their playing indoors, which was fine with the boy. He preferred doing things like puzzles and board games to playing on a swing set or outdoor games, although playing frisbee had been fun.

He and Sam played a game of checkers while Jacob watched. The captain paid close attention to Daniel's moves, the way the child's eyes studied the board. It became clear that, not only was Daniel seeing moves that were presently available, he was also seeing how each move would affect the board and impact upon future moves, both by himself and Sam. It was a level of game play that one wouldn't anticipate from an eight-year-old, and Jacob had to wonder how the boy's mind really worked. Fortunately for Sam, when it came to checkers, she was a very logical thinker and also analyzed every move. They were pretty evenly matched and, in the end, Sam won by a single piece.

"That was fun," she said. "You're really good at checkers, Daniel. You almost beat me."

The boy shrugged. "Dad said that I'm really good at seeing patterns and finishing patterns in my head that aren't all there."

Jacob smiled. Ah, so that might be the explanation. The black and red checker pieces were creating patterns that Daniel's mind was completing.

"What should we play next?" Sam asked.

"If we had a Hounds and Jackals game, I could teach you that," Daniel replied.

"What game is that?"

"It's one the ancient Egyptians played."

"How do you play it?"

"We don't really know what the rules are, but people have guessed how it was played." Daniel explained the game to her.

"Hey, I think I know what game that is," Jacob said. "That's the one they were playing in 'The Ten Commandments'."

"What movie is that?" Sam asked.

"It's about Moses, came out back in the fifties. Charlton Heston played Moses, Yul Brynner was Rameses and Anne Baxter was Nefertiri."

"Nefertari," Daniel corrected. "She was one of the wives of Rameses II, who was the greatest and most powerful of all the pharaohs."

Jacob smiled. "I stand corrected. They have it on TV every year. Of course you would probably point out all the historical things they got wrong. It certainly did have plenty of biblical errors." The captain smiled again as he thought of the amusement factor in listening to an eight-year-old pointing out all the historical inaccuracies of the film.

That's when Jacob got an idea. "Hey, how about if we make a Hounds and Jackals game?"

Sam smiled brightly. "Could we?"

Daniel liked the idea. "My mom and dad made the one we had out of wood, but maybe we could use paper and cardboard."

The kids jumped right in on the project. Daniel was in charge of the artwork, drawing the heads of the hound and jackal playing pieces with crayons, which were then cut out and taped to straws. The board was made from the bottom of a cardboard box, which Jacob poked holes in and Sam colored as per Daniel's instructions. The one problem was the dice. Daniel informed them that, in ancient Egyptian times, they often used knuckle bones. Jacob very logically pointed out that that wouldn't be an option. The boy then said that they also used sticks, often made of ivory. Since there wasn't anything around the house that could be used in lieu of the sticks, the captain talked Daniel into allowing them to use regular dice instead.

As Daniel explained the game in more detail, Jacob realized that it was a lot like Snakes and Ladders, one of the games in their collection. They could have just played that instead. Looking at the board and playing pieces they'd created together and the smiles on the kids' faces, he decided that this was better.

Hounds and Jackals was a game for just two players, so it was Daniel and Sam who played, the boy ending up as the winner. Afterwards, Sam made sure her dad put the game away someplace safe so that they could play it the next time Daniel came over.

Mark came home shortly before dinner. During the meal, everyone chatted. In the warm, friendly home environment, good food on the table and smiling faces all around him, Daniel felt happy and safe. It was the first time he'd felt truly safe since his parents died. The feeling loosened his tongue. His reticence faded, and he began talking more. Jacob and Laura noticed and took advantage of it, taking the opportunity to learn more about the boy.

For one so young, he'd had an extraordinary life with his parents, seen things that most people never would. His travels and time spent in different cultures had given him knowledge and insight into the world that far surpassed that of the average child and even many adults. Daniel seemed to find something wonderful and exciting in every culture and place he'd been. The two adults recognized that he carried within his mind a great deal of anthropological knowledge and wondered if one or both of his parents might have been anthropologists as well as archeologists.

"I think it's so neat that you've been all over the world," Sam said, having listened to his stories with fascination. "What's your favorite place?"

"Egypt," Daniel replied without hesitation.

"Isn't it really hot there?" Mark asked. "It's a desert."

"It isn't always hot, not in the winter, and there are places that aren't desert. The Nile Valley has trees and grass."

"Is there any snow?" Sam asked.

Daniel shook his head. He paused for a moment, then said, "I've never seen snow."

That surprised Sam. "Not ever?"

"Uh uh, except on TV and in pictures."

"Wow. You're gonna _love_ snow. It's lots of fun to play in. When we get snow here, we can build a fortress and have a big snowball fight."

Daniel smiled, his eyes shining. He'd always wanted to see snow. "That would be fun."

Once everyone was finished eating, Laura and Jacob started clearing the table. They were surprised when Daniel began helping them.

"Thank you, Daniel, but you don't have to do that," Laura told him with a smile.

"I help Mrs. Underwood clear the table after dinner."

"Well, I'm sure she appreciates that, but you're our guest, and it isn't polite to make guests do any work."

Daniel's head ducked a little. "I like helping."

Laura gazed down at him tenderly. She slid her fingers through is hair. "Okay, you can help. Thank you."

"I'll help, too!" Sam cried.

Mark pitched in as well, albeit a little reluctantly, and the table was cleared in no time. Laura then brought out the cake, which had been hidden away in the pantry. Daniel's eyes got really big and bright when he saw it.

"So, who wants cake?" the woman asked. Everyone's hands immediately shot up.

"Me, me!" Sam exclaimed.

The cake was cut, Daniel being given the biggest piece. They all ate it in the living room, Jacob and Laura amused by Daniel's blissful, chocolate-smudged expression. He consumed every crumb. Afterward, he didn't have to be told to go clean up, hurrying off to the bathroom to do it himself.

"Hey, how about a game of Twister?" Jacob asked once the dessert dishes were rinsed off and in the sink.

"Yeah!" Sam exclaimed.

"What's Twister?" Daniel asked.

"It's really fun. Everyone gets all twisted up with each other like pretzels."

The game was brought out and explained to Daniel. Laura opted to be the one to spin the arrow.

As with every game of Twister, the longer it went on, the more the players were forced to contort into virtually impossible positions. Jacob had the advantage of being bigger, and, therefore, possessing a longer reach, but that was countered by the greater flexibility and younger bodies of the children.

Sam was the first to fall. Giggling, she extricated herself from the others and joined her mother. They watched the three guys continue the game.

It was when Jacob was reaching for a yellow circle that his body decided it simply could not fight against gravity any longer. He toppled over, taking Daniel and Mark with him. And that's when something wonderful happened. Lying on the plastic mat, his head on Jacob's stomach, Mark's legs splayed across his, Daniel suddenly burst into giggles. Overjoyed at the sound, Jacob shared a happy look with his wife. Then, without warning, he reached down and tickled Daniel's stomach. The boy squealed, twisting and turning, his giggles increasing in volume.

Grinning gleefully, Sam pounced on her father and began tickling him. This soon turned into an all-out tickle war, everyone joining the battle. By the time it ended, they were all lying breathless on the floor.

The two adults decided it was time for something a bit less energetic and turned on the TV.

It being a special night, they let the kids stay up way later than they normally would even for a Saturday, their hearts warmed by the happiness on Daniel's face.

When the clock struck midnight, Laura and Jacob insisted that it was time for bed, though Sam would happily have stayed up half the night.

Jacob was in the process of making sure the house was locked up when Daniel came walking up to him. The boy's head was down, and he looked nervous.

"What is it, Daniel?" the captain asked.

"There's something I need to tell you."

"Go on."

"It's about the nightmares. Sometimes when I have them, I-I sort of scream, and . . . and I just wanted you to know so that, if I have a nightmare, you wouldn't be scared and think something was wrong. You don't have to come in and check on me or anything."

Jacob's throat tightened painfully. He was at a loss for words, upset deeply by the child's tragic statement.

Swallowing, he knelt before the boy. "Come here, Daniel," he instructed gently. The child came within reach, and Jacob gently grasped his arms. "Thank you for telling me. We won't be scared. But we _will_ come in and check on you to see that you're all right. It wouldn't be right for us not to."

"Mrs. Underwood doesn't. She did the first couple times, but I think Mister Underwood told her not to anymore."

Jacob's jaw tightened fractionally. He hadn't met Daniel's foster father yet, but he already didn't like him.

"Well, things are different in this household. When our children have nightmares, we do something about it. That's the way it is. Okay?"

Daniel nodded, not looking at him.

Jacob pulled the boy into a little hug. "Good night, Danny. Sweet dreams."

As he watched the child walk away, Jacob prayed that he _would_ have sweet dreams. 


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

It was not quite two a.m. when the scream awoke Jacob and Laura. They were instantly awake, Jacob's military training allowing his mind to clear faster than his wife's. She was not far behind him, however, as they leapt out of bed and hurried to the study.

"Mommy! Daddy! Mommeeeee!" Daniel was wailing, tears coursing down his cheeks.

Laura was across the room and on the mattress in a flash, gathering the child up into her arms.

"It's okay, sweetheart," she said, tears in her voice. "It's okay. Shhh. Don't cry, baby. Don't cry." She began rocking back and forth with Daniel, whispering soft, soothing sounds.

Slowly, Daniel's heartbreaking sobs became whimpers and then faded into silence. Laura continued holding him, stroking his hair. At last, he lay quietly in her arms, appearing to be sleeping peacefully.

Laura looked up at her husband, whose eyes were dark with emotion.

"How many times has this happened, Jacob? How many nightmares has he had to live through and had no one there comfort him?"

"I don't know," Jacob said in a tight voice. "I probably don't want to know." He looked down at the boy. "He'll probably be okay now."

Placing a kiss on Daniel's forehead, Laura attempted to lay him back down, but found that she couldn't. The child's hands had grabbed hold of her nightgown and, even in sleep, wouldn't let go. When she attempted to gently release his grip, he whimpered and pressed himself tighter against her.

Laura met her husband's eyes, and a silent message passed between them. Holding onto Daniel, the woman got up and carried the little boy to the master bedroom, Jacob following her. They lay down on the bed, Daniel between them, still clinging to Laura like a leech.

Husband and wife shared a look over Daniel's head, then closed their eyes and returned to sleep.

* * *

Jacob was the first to awaken. There was a body lying pressed against him, and it wasn't his wife's. Recalling the events of the night, he cracked his eyes open and looked down to see the small form of Daniel lying beside him. Lost in peaceful sleep, the innocent, beautiful face looked like that of a much younger child.

Jacob looked up to see Laura watching him. A little smile came to her face.

"It's been a while since we've done this," she said.

"Yes, it has. We stopped letting Sam sleep with us back when she was five, I think."

"She was six the last time, after you foolishly let her watch Frankenstein on Halloween night."

"Ah, yes. I remember." That made Jacob think about the bad dream that resulted in their present situation. "That nightmare last night was a bad one. I really hope they're not all that bad."

"Me too. But they'll go away eventually, won't they?"

"Eventually, though probably not for quite some time." He looked back down at Daniel. "We should put him back in his bed. He'd probably be embarrassed and uncomfortable if he found out that he slept with us."

"You're right."

Jacob carried Daniel back into the study and tucked him into his bed as Laura went to the kitchen to get the coffee started.

They were surprised when Daniel got up only an hour later, especially since everyone had gone to bed so late.

"Good morning," Jacob greeted. "I see that you're an early riser."

"We always had to get up early when we were on a dig so that we'd get lots of work done before it got hot."

"Yes, that makes sense."

The boy looked back and forth between them nervously. "Did you wake up when I had my nightmare?"

"Yes, we did, honey," Laura replied, "but that's okay."

Daniel hung his head. "I'm sorry. I don't know how to stop having them. When I kept having them in the hospital, the nurses got kind of mad."

Jacob stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"They were nice at first. When I had one, they came in and woke me and told me I was having a nightmare. But when I kept having them, they got impatient. They told me it was disturbing the other patients. But I couldn't make myself stop having the bad dreams, so they started giving me medicine that made me sleep all night long without the nightmares."

Jacob was holding onto his temper with an effort. They drugged him?! The captain had half a mind to go to that hospital and rake the nurses and doctors over the coals. What kind of treatment was that for a traumatized child? He could tell that Laura was just as upset. She knelt before the boy and took his hands.

"We weren't mad, Daniel," she said. "We would never get mad over that. But we were worried about you. Was it an especially bad nightmare?"

"No, I've had it before." Daniel frowned. "But, this time, it became a good dream. It's never done that before."

"How did it become a good dream?" Jacob asked.

"My mom came and held me and told me not to cry."

Laura was struggling very hard not to lose control. Jacob saw her distress and figured that he needed to distract Daniel.

"Well, I'm really glad to hear that, Daniel. Come on. Let's go into the kitchen and get you some juice or maybe some milk."

After supplying the boy with a glass of orange juice and seeing him settled at the table, Jacob went to see to his wife, who was nowhere in sight. He found her in their bedroom, wiping tears from her face with a tissue. He put his arms around her and held her close.

"Oh, Jacob. It just breaks my heart," she whispered.

"I know. I feel the same. _Nobody_ should have to go through what that boy has, let alone a little child. The more I hear about what he's suffered this past month and a half, the more it makes me want to hit something . . . or some_one_."

"They drugged him, Jacob! How could they do that? They should have been comforting him, helping him. Instead, they drugged him."

"Yeah. You know, considering everything, he's probably lucky that someone didn't throw him into an institution, write him off as mentally irreparable and be done with it."

Laura shuddered at that thought. She dried her face.

"Are you going to be okay?" Jacob asked, gazing at her in concern.

Laura nodded. "It's just hard. As a mother, the thought of Daniel being neglected and mistreated like that makes me so angry. I know it could have been worse. He could have ended up in one of those abusive foster homes that I've heard about. But it still bothers me to think about what he's already suffered and what else might happen to him in the future."

"I know, Laura. It bothers me as well."

The fact that the other kids were still sleeping gave Jacob and Laura the opportunity to talk alone with Daniel. It was certainly not the usual kind of conversation you'd have with an eight-year-old. They found that the boy was quite aware of and had very definite opinions about certain world issues, such as war, world hunger, crime and pollution. Apparently, Daniel's parents had talked about these things openly with their child and given their own opinions on them. The boy had actually witnessed the effects of famine in some of the countries he'd been to and had the strongest opinion about it, stating that all the countries that had plenty of food should give food to those that didn't "regardless of all the stupid politics and how much it costs." That last statement just about had Jacob cracking up.

_'Out of the mouths of babes,'_ he thought.

When they got on the subject of war, Daniel asked if Jacob fought in Vietnam.

"Yes, I did. I did two tours."

"What's that?"

"A tour of duty. That's a period of time that someone in the military is on a specific duty or at one place. A tour usually lasts around a year, depending on what branch of the military you're in."

"You're in the Air Force."

"Yep."

"Then you fly planes?"

"Whenever they let me. Unfortunately, flying is only one part of what I do. There's also a whole lot of boring stuff."

"Sam told me that I should call you Captain Carter instead of Mister Carter. I'm sorry I made a mistake before."

Jacob smiled. "That's perfectly all right, Daniel. I didn't mind you calling me Mister Carter. I am a 'mister', too, after all."

It was 9:30 when Jacob decided that it was time for the other kids to get up. When he tried to rouse Sam, however, he didn't have much luck. He decided to get some help.

After fetching something he figured might be of use, he brought Daniel into Sam's room.

"I think I need help waking Sammie up. Would you like to help?" he asked the boy.

"Okay. What do I do?"

With a grin, Jacob handed him a squirt gun. Like the well-trained military man that he was, he showed the boy the proper way to hold the gun and the correct stance to take.

"Now, pick your target," he said, standing behind Daniel. "That's it. Steady now. Okay. Ready, aim . . . fire!"

The stream of cold water hit Sam square in the face. She woke up with a shriek, nearly launching out of bed.

"Daddy!" she yelled.

Jacob burst into laughter, Daniel grinning broadly.

Sam glowered at them, wiping the water from her face. "That was so mean!"

"I think you'll survive," Jacob said, still chuckling. "Come on. Up and at 'em. We're all starving, and, if you don't get up, you get no breakfast."

Pouting, Sam got up and stomped off to the bathroom.

Daniel looked up at Jacob, his expression now concerned. "Is she mad at us?"

"Oh, maybe a little, but she'll get over it. Don't worry, Daniel. She's a lot madder at me than she is at you."

Sam's anger was gone by the time breakfast was on the table. The skies had mostly cleared, so they'd be able to play outside today.

"Daddy, can we go to the creek?" she asked.

"Sure. That sounds nice."

Sam turned to Daniel. "It's just a little creek, but it has fish in it. In the summer, we can put our feet in it, but they won't let us swim in it. It's really close by, just right over that way." She pointed in the proper direction.

After breakfast, Jacob took Sam and Daniel to Three Mile Creek, Mark deciding that he didn't want to go. The creek was, indeed, quite close, just a few dozen yards from the Carters' house. It was basically a storm water drainage ditch used to receive runoff from the south side of the base, but, as Sam had said, it did have fish in it and fishing was allowed, both on base and off, although most of the fish were so small that not many bothered.

It was too cold for the kids to even put their hands in the water, so they just sat on the bank and tried to spot fish. Jacob noticed that Daniel was squinting a little and wondered if the boy might need glasses.

Sam soon grew bored, and they went back to the house.

"Sam?" Laura called when they came in the house. "You didn't make your bed this morning or pick up your dirty clothes. Go and do it."

"But Mom! Daniel's here."

"So? Having guests in the house doesn't mean that you get to have a messy room."

"I can help," Daniel offered.

"No, keeping her room clean is Sam's responsibility," Laura responded.

As Sam unhappily went off to her room, Laura approached Jacob.

"Mark's friend, Tony, called a few minutes ago," she told him. "He asked if Mark could come over. I told Mark that the decision was up to you."

Jacob frowned. "I told him that I wanted him to stay home today and share the day with us. I've barely seen him during these two weeks, and my leave ends tomorrow."

"I know, but you need to be the one to tell him."

Jacob went to his son's room. The boy was sitting on his bed, reading a comic book.

"Your mother tells me that one of your friends wants you to come over."

"Yeah, Tony. He got a new bike for his birthday, and we were going to go riding together."

"Mark, I told you that, if I allowed you to spend Saturday at Lieutenant McGregor's with his son, you needed to spend the whole day today with us."

"But, Dad. Why do I have to stay here?"

"Because I said so, that's why," Jacob replied sternly.

Mark threw the comic book on the floor and jumped off the bed. "I never get to keep any of my friends because we're always moving, and, now, you won't let me play with the ones I have! I _hate_ you!"

He ran out of the bedroom and kept right on going, out the back door.

Daniel had heard the raised voice and seen Mark run out. He turned and watched Jacob exit the boy's bedroom, looking very sad. Daniel didn't like seeing him sad. He was a nice man who'd been very kind to him.

Daniel wondered why Mark was so angry. He hadn't heard everything the older boy said, but he did hear one thing quite clearly: Mark saying that he hated his father. How could you hate your own father?

Daniel went out into the backyard. Mark was angrily hitting the leg of the swing set with a stick. The younger boy cautiously approached him. Maybe he could think of something to say that would make Mark less angry.

"Why are you mad at your dad?" he asked.

The older boy glared at him. "Why do you want to know?"

Daniel shrugged.

Mark threw away the stick. "I hate it because we're always moving. I make new friends, and I start liking my school, and then Dad comes home and tells us that we have to move. And I never get to keep any of my friends. I hate the Air Force, and I hate my dad!"

Daniel didn't know what to say. He didn't think that Mark really hated his dad. The boy was just angry. Mark didn't know how lucky he was to have a father, especially a nice one like Captain Carter.

"My parents and I traveled a lot," Daniel said softly. "We had a place in Cairo, but we weren't there very much. I didn't have any friends except, sometimes, the diggers had their families with them, and I also sometimes went to private schools for a little while. But it was okay that I didn't have a lot of friends because I had my mom and dad." Tears filled Daniel's eyes. "I wish I was you because you're lucky. Your parents are still alive. You shouldn't hate your dad because, someday, he could die like my mom and dad did, and then you won't have him anymore."

Turning, Daniel fled, leaving a stunned Mark in his wake. The boy stood there, Daniel's word sinking in. He got to thinking about how he'd feel if he lost his parents, if, someday, they died. He'd been so angry at his father because he blamed the man for all the friends he had to say goodbye to, but thinking about something bad happening to his dad scared him. Jacob was in the military, and, any day, he could be sent off to fight in some war, where he could get killed. Mark knew a lot of kids whose fathers had died in Vietnam. He knew that death was permanent, that you never came back. If his dad died, it would be forever. Mark would never see him again.

Getting upset, Mark went into the house and to his room, sitting on the bed. He thought about what he'd said to his father, and he felt ashamed. He didn't really hate him. He didn't.

There was a knock on his door. Mark quickly picked up one of his toys and pretended to play with it. The door opened, and Jacob came in. He sat on the bed beside his son.

"Mark, I know these frequent moves have been hard on you and Sam. I understand how tough it is leaving friends and having to start over someplace new. I've had to leave friends, too. I wish things could be different, but this is the way it is. It's a part of being in the military. It could be a lot worse. I can be grateful that I'm not being sent overseas. I can't promise that it will get better, Mark, at least not any time soon, but I do love you, Son, and, well, I hope that you can forgive me and come to accept this part of our lives."

Mark really didn't want to cry. He was too big to cry. That was for little kids and for girls. But his stupid tear ducts weren't listening.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, ducking his head to hide the tears in his eyes.

Jacob saw the tears anyway. "Sorry for what?"

"For saying I hated you. I didn't really mean it."

Jacob gently pulled Mark close. "I know. We all say things when we're angry that we don't really mean. I've done the same thing."

Mark sniffled. "Are you ever going to get ordered back to war?"

Surprised by the change of subject, Jacob hesitated before replying. "I . . . I don't know, Mark. I won't be called back to Vietnam since we're no longer part of the fighting there, but if there's another war, then, yes, I might be called to serve in it."

"But you could get killed."

Jacob stared at him. They'd never talked about this before. "That's always a possibility, Mark. But then, I could die tomorrow in a car accident. You never know when something might happen. What brought this on?"

"I was talking to Daniel. He told me I was lucky and he wished he was me because my parents were still alive. He said I shouldn't hate you because, someday, you could die, like his parents did."

Damn. Where _was_ Daniel? The last time Jacob saw the boy, he was going out the back door.

"You shouldn't think about that, Mark," he said. "It's not good to think about bad things happening. Adults do that all the time, and it's not pleasant. Um . . . Mark, where is Daniel?"

The boy shrugged. "I don't know. He ran off. He was crying."

_'Oh, no.'_ Jacob was now getting worried. "Come on. We need to find him."

As Jacob and Mark left the room, Sam came up to them.

"Daddy, do you know where Daniel is? I can't find him. He's not in the backyard."

"I don't know, but we're going to find him."

They all went out onto the front porch and looked around, but there was no sign of Daniel anywhere. Jacob called the boy's name and received no answer.

"You guys start looking around," he told his children. "Take a look down the street and see if you can spot him. But don't go anywhere. I need to talk to your mom for a second."

Jacob quickly explained to Laura what was happening, and she was instantly alarmed. He told her to wait in the house in case Daniel showed up.

The captain went outside. Mark and Sam were standing on the sidewalk in front of the house, calling Daniel's name.

Sam turned to her father. "We can't find him, Daddy. Where did he go?"

_'Okay, don't panic, Jacob,'_ Jacob told himself. _'We're on a military base. He'll be fine, and he can't go far.' _

Still panicking, Jacob joined his kids, peering in all directions with the desperate hope of seeing Daniel.

"Hey, Jacob," called Captain Hampshire from across the street. "You looking for that boy that's been staying with you this weekend?"

"Yes. Have you seen him?"

"Yeah, he went hightailing it off that way. I think he was heading for the creek."

Jacob, Sam and Mark immediately went to the creek. Within seconds of arriving, they saw a little figure huddled near the bank. He was hugging his legs close to his body, his face hidden by his knees.

"Stay here," Jacob told his kids, then he slowly approached the distraught child.

"Daniel?" he inquired gently when he was a few feet away. He covered the rest of the distance and knelt by the boy. He laid a hand on Daniel's hair. He could feel the quiet sobs shuddering through the child's small frame, and, more than anything, he wanted to scoop the boy up into his arms and hold him.

"They're dead," Daniel said in a voice of such heartbreaking sadness. "It fell on them, and they're dead, and they're never going to come back."

Jacob couldn't stop himself from gathering the grieving child up into his arms. Daniel sobbed against him. Jacob just held him, saying nothing. What could he say? That it would be all right? That everything would be fine? Maybe, someday, it would be, but not for a long time, not for this child.

Daniel stopped crying after a few minutes. He sat quietly in Jacob's arms, sniffling.

"Daniel, I know how much it hurts to lose your mom and dad," Jacob murmured. "My mom died when I was only nineteen. I lost my dad last year. It hurts, and it takes a long time for the pain to go away. But you have to keep remembering how much they loved you and how great the years were that you had with them. They'll always be in your heart and your memories, Danny. Always."

A few fresh tears rolled down the boy's face. Jacob gently wiped them away. He waited until he thought that Daniel had recovered enough, then asked if the boy was ready to go back to the house. He was answered with a small nod.

Daniel kept his gaze on the ground as they walked back to the house. Sam was really upset that her friend had been crying and wanted to hug him, but her dad had given her a look and shook his head no.

As soon as they were in the house, Daniel went to his temporary bedroom.

"Daddy?" Sam said, looking at the closed door.

"Let him have some time alone, Sammie," Jacob told her. "He'll come out when he's ready."

"Dad, what did Daniel mean when he said it fell on them?" Mark asked. "Did something fall on his parents?"

_'Oh no.'_ Jacob caught his wife's gaze and saw his dismay reflected there.

"Um . . . yes," the captain replied hesitantly. "There was an accident at the museum they were in. One of the displays fell, and they were killed."

Sam had thought that maybe they died in a car accident or something. It was way worse that something big and heavy fell on them.

"Was Daniel there?" she asked.

Her father's whole body went stiff, his face going stiff, too.

"We shouldn't talk about this, Sam," he said without any emotion in his voice. "It's not good to talk about things like that. Come on. Let's go fix some hot chocolate. Daniel will like that."

Sam watched her father walk away into the kitchen, wondering why he was acting like that. She looked at her brother.

"How come he got all stiff like that?" she asked. "Why didn't he answer my question?"

"I bet Daniel was there, and Dad doesn't want us to know. I bet Daniel saw his mom and dad get squashed."

Horror filled Sam. Daniel saw his parents get killed?

Jacob saw his daughter flee the living room and came out to find out what was going on.

"What's wrong with your sister?" he asked his elder child.

"I told her that I think Daniel saw his parents get squashed."

Jacob's temper blew up. "Dammit, Mark! Why would you tell her that?!"

The boy cringed. "I'm sorry."

Jacob hurried to his daughter's room, intent on doing some damage control. She was lying on the bed, hugging one of her stuffed animals, tears running down her face. Jacob sat on the edge of the bed.

"Hey, Sammie."

"Daniel saw his mom and dad get killed, didn't he. They got squashed under something big and heavy, and he saw it."

Jacob gave a sad sigh. "Yes, sweetheart, he did."

"Is that what his flashback was about?"

Jacob nodded.

"That's so awful."

"Yes, it is. Sam, we can't talk about this around Daniel, not ever. It would really upset him. I don't ever want him to know that you know this. You understand? You're not to say one word about it."

Sam nodded, wiping her face.

"Now, come on. Let's go make that hot chocolate for Daniel."

At the dining room table, Mark sat staring at his lap, positive that he was going to get grounded for a really long time. His dad had gotten angry at him before, but never _that_ angry. Mom was mad at him, too. She'd told him that what he did was irresponsible and thoughtless.

Jacob came up to him. "Mark, do you understand why I got mad at you?"

"Yes, sir. I shouldn't have said what I did," the boy mumbled.

"No, you shouldn't have. You need to think before you speak, Mark. You're old enough to start learning that."

"I'm sorry."

Jacob nodded. "And I'm sorry I yelled at you. Now, I've already told your sister this. I don't want a single word of what happened to Daniel's parents to pass your lips, not around him, not to your friends, not at any time. You got it?"

"Yes, sir."

Jacob gave the boy a brief hug to let him know that he wasn't still mad, and they all joined Laura in the kitchen, where she was busy making the hot cocoa.

The cocoa was ready when Daniel shyly came out of the study, not looking at anyone. It saddened Jacob and Laura to see him yet again sad and withdrawn.

"We made some hot chocolate," Sam said. "Mom makes the best hot chocolate. You'll really like it."

Daniel didn't say anything.

"Daniel, do you want to go home?" Jacob asked.

"Please don't go," Sam pleaded. "I want you to stay."

"Don't go," Mark said, surprising his parents. "I can show you my comic book collection."

"Please?"

"Sam, if Daniel wants to go home, we should let him," Laura told her daughter gently.

A few seconds had passed when Daniel very quietly said, "I can stay."

Sam stepped forward and grabbed his hand, leading him to the mugs of hot chocolate. She gave him one.

"Careful. It's really hot," she warned.

It took Daniel a while to reemerge from his shell, but he finally got there, although he wasn't quite as lively as he'd been earlier.

As promised, Mark showed the boy his collection of comic books.

"I like Batman the best," he said, "because he's got a cool costume, and a really cool car and lots of great gadgets that he uses to fight crime."

"I like Wonder Woman best," Sam stated. She had been allowed into Mark's room with the boys at Jacob's insistence.

"That's because she's a girl." Mark looked at Daniel. "Which superhero do you like best?"

"I don't know. I never read any comic books. I don't know very much about them."

Mark took it upon himself to tell Daniel all about the different comic book heroes, who they were, where they came from, their history, what special powers and abilities they had, and other facts.

"So, who do you think you'd like best?" he then asked.

Daniel gave the question some serious thought. "I think I like Spider-Man the best."

"Why Spider-Man?" Sam asked.

"Because he was a normal person who got his powers by accident. He's not perfect because he made mistakes, but he decided that, now that he has special powers, he should use them to help people. Superman can't get killed unless there's Kryptonite nearby, so he can do dangerous things and not worry. But Spider-Man _can_ get killed, yet he still does dangerous things to help people. That's being a real hero."

Jacob, who had been watching from the doorway for a while, was surprised by the wise and well thought out answer. Daniel appeared to understand the true meaning of courage, that it was not doing something _fearlessly_ but doing it in _spite_ of fear. The captain was also pleased that the boy had picked _his_ favorite superhero.

"So, if you don't read comic books, what _do_ you read?" Mark asked Daniel.

"All kinds of books. I like stories that take place a long time ago the best. The last book I read was The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. It takes place in India. I like history books, too, especially about ancient Egypt."

"He has a big book about ancient Egypt that's really neat," Sam said.

Daniel glanced at Mark. "Would you like to see it?"

"Okay."

Daniel fetched the book out of his backpack. He sat between the two Carter children and began turning the pages. As he came to each god, pharaoh and other important person in the book, he talked about who they were and the important things they did. He explained why the pyramids came to be and why they eventually stopped being built. He talked about the Valley of the Kings and other important archeological sites. Jacob had been joined by Laura, and they both listened with great interest, the boy bringing the people and culture of that long ago time to life.

"Ancient Egypt was pretty cool," Mark said at the end. That made Daniel smile.

"It sure was," Sam agreed.

It was four o'clock when Jacob decided that he needed to get Daniel back home. It was no surprise that Sam was extremely unhappy about it. What _was_ surprising was that Mark was unhappy as well. Apparently, something had happened to make him like the younger boy.

"Did you have fun with the Carters?" Diane asked when Daniel and Jacob arrived.

"Uh huh," the boy answered. "We did lots of fun stuff."

"That's good. Did you thank them for having you?"

Daniel turned to Jacob. "Thank you for having me as your guest."

"It was our pleasure, Daniel. We'd be happy to have you come over again."

"Go on and get your things put away, Daniel," Diane said. After the boy was gone, she turned back to Jacob. "How was he? He seems happy."

"He had a very good time, from what I could tell. It was great to see him smiling and hear him laugh. He did have a nightmare last night, and there was a little incident this morning that brought up the whole thing with his parents and upset him, but he appears to have recovered from it."

"That's great to hear. I've made the arrangements with Daniel's new caseworker. She'll be coming tomorrow at eight, like we agreed."

"I'll be here. Does Daniel know about this yet?"

"No. I didn't want to worry him. I'll tell him after school tomorrow. Thank you for giving Daniel a nice day, Captain."

"It was our pleasure. Daniel is a wonderful boy." 


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

On Monday morning, Sam sought Daniel out, finding him at the lockers.

"Hi! Guess what?" she said.

"What?"

"We all talked last night, and Mom and Dad said that you could come trick-or-treating with us on Halloween."

"I've never been trick-or-treating before."

"You haven't? It's so much fun! You get to dress up in costumes, and you get lots of candy from all the people, and some of the houses are made up really scary. Maybe you can help us put our Halloween stuff up."

"Can I wear any costume I want to?"

"Sure. I want to dress up like an astronaut. You know, like the guys who went to the moon. What would you like to dress up like?"

Daniel smiled. "A pharaoh."

"You'll have to ask your foster mom to help you find the right costume."

Just then, Daniel's body stiffened, his eyes fixed upon something behind Sam. She turned to see what he was looking at and saw Bud Whitman. The older boy spied them and came striding over, the other kids quickly moving out of his way.

"My dad hit me because you got me in trouble," he said, glaring at them. "He told me that he's going to send me to military school next year, and it's your fault."

"It's not our fault; it's your fault for being so mean," Sam declared. "If you weren't a bully, you wouldn't get into trouble."

"And you're a stupid, wimpy little girl who plays with retards."

Daniel stepped forward, his chin lifting and a touch of fire in his eyes. "No she's not."

Bud stared at him in surprise. Then his former sneer returned. "Hey, look. The retard can talk."

"He's not a retard," said a timid voice. The three turned to see the little black-haired boy who had spoken to Daniel on Friday.

"He's really smart," the boy stated. "He can speak a bunch of languages, and does schoolwork for kids in fourth and fifth grade, and writes really neat stories."

"You're lying," Bud said.

"No, he's not," said another kid, who was also in Daniel's class. "He's in the same class as me now, and Mister Greer told all of us what he can do and read a story he wrote."

"Daniel's a genius," Sam declared, smiling proudly. The comment made the subject of it blush.

Bud glared at the kids sourly, seeing that a lot of other children were watching him. He stormed off, his shoulders tight.

Daniel turned to the two boys who had defended him. "Thanks."

"Bud is a jerk," said the boy that Daniel believed was named Nathan. "He picks on a lot of us."

"He stole my lunch money," said the other boy.

At that moment, the bell rang. Sam headed off to her class as Daniel and the two boys went to theirs, talking on the way. Daniel learned that the smaller boy was named Kenny Robinson.

As the morning progressed, Daniel became aware that one of the girls in the class kept staring at him. Every time he looked at her, though, she blushed and looked away. He wondered why she was acting like that.

The weather was cold and dreary, so Daniel and Sam chose to have their lunch in the cafeteria. Nathan and Kenny came over and asked if they could join the pair.

"Okay," Daniel replied.

As they all ate and talked, Sam found herself starting to get jealous. Up until now, Daniel had been her special friend, and she had him all to herself, but, now, he was making other friends, and he wasn't talking only with her.

And then something happened that made Sam even more jealous. Two girls walked by. They looked at Daniel, smiled and said, "Hi, Daniel," then giggled and kept walking. The boy just blinked and stared at them, perplexed.

Sam did a lot of frowning throughout the rest of the meal. Daniel noticed that she seemed to be unhappy about something, but didn't know what it could be. He decided to ask her later.

He was surprised that other kids seemed to want to make friends with him. Was it because he was talking now or was it because they now knew that he wasn't dumb? He liked Kenny. The little boy was shy and timid, but when you finally got him to talk, he spoke with quiet passion about the things he loved, which, above all, was music.

Nathan was nice, too. The opposite of Kenny, he was outgoing and friendly. During the meal, a lot of kids stopped by the table and said hi to him. Apparently, he was pretty popular. It turned out that he knew some German, having learned it from his maternal grandmother, and he and Daniel spoke for a moment in that language, which, unbeknownst to Daniel, made Sam even more jealous. She was actually glad when the lunch break ended.

Laura could tell that something was wrong when Sam got home. She stomped into the house with a sour expression and barely said a word before going off to her room to do her homework. That evening at dinner, Jacob spent a lot of the time staring at his daughter, wondering what had gotten into her.

It was after the meal that her parents decided it was time to find out what was going on. They went to Sam's room.

"Okay, so why the sourpuss?" Jacob asked.

"I don't have a sourpuss," Sam muttered.

"Oh, I beg to differ. I've seen lots of sourpusses in my day, and you are definitely wearing one."

"Did something happen at school?" Laura asked.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Is Daniel all right?"

To the complete surprise of her parents, Sam's expression darkened even more. They shared a glance.

"Sam, did you and Daniel have an argument?" Jacob asked.

"No."

"Did he say or do something to make you mad?"

"No . . . not really."

"But this is about him, isn't it," Laura said.

"He's got new friends now," Sam blurted out. "They ate lunch with us, and Daniel talked a lot with them. He even talked in German with one of them."

Light was now dawning on the problem.

"Ah, I see," Jacob murmured.

"And some of the other girls like him now, too!"

That statement had her parents hiding smiles. They sat on the bed on either side of her.

"Sam, don't you think that Daniel deserves to have other friends?" Laura asked gently.

"Well, yeah, sure he does."

"Then why are you mad?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know," she mumbled. "I liked it when he was my special friend, and it was only the two of us. I was the one he talked to first."

"Sammie, Daniel will always be your special friend," Jacob told her. "It doesn't matter how many other friends he gets. And, yes, you are the first one that Daniel talked to, which is something special that will always be between you." Jacob smiled. "Now, as to those other girls . . ." He met his wife's eyes and saw that she was also smiling, "we'll talk about that another time."

A while later, Jacob headed over to Daniel's foster home, curious about what the boy's new caseworker would be like.

When he met Paul Underwood, Jacob was not very impressed. The man was rather impatient about the necessity of the meeting with the caseworker and seemed to have little interest in Daniel and the other foster children in his house.

The caseworker arrived a few minutes after Jacob. Lucy Merrick was a woman who looked to be pushing sixty. With her round body, equally round, rosy-cheeked face, and small, wire-rimmed glasses, she looked like she belonged in some kind of children's show, playing the part of the kindly grandmother. But the hand that gripped Jacob's was surprisingly firm and strong, and the look in her eyes was sharp and intelligent.

"Captain Carter," she said. "So, you're the man who terrorized Stan Babcock, eh?"

"I wouldn't call it terrorizing, ma'am," he responded with a smile. "I was just stating my mind."

"Well, I like a man who doesn't beat around the bush." She looked at the Underwoods. "Shall we go sit down?"

They all settled in the living room.

"Do you want me to get Daniel?" Diane asked.

"No, not yet," Lucy replied. "Let's talk for a while first. First of all, I would like to apologize for some mistakes and oversights that were made in Daniel's case. There are certain facts that we were unaware of that led to errors in judgment."

"Errors in judgment?" Jacob repeated. "Daniel is a severely traumatized little boy who was given no treatment of any kind. He was tossed into the foster care system while still in a traumatized state and put in first grade because no one bothered to test him and find out that he actually has a genius IQ. It seems to me that there was more than errors in judgment going on."

Lucy sighed. "I understand your anger, Captain Carter. I'd like to explain something to you. A lot of the children that we deal with are traumatized in some way or another. Many of them have been taken from abusive homes or places where one or both parents used drugs or simply didn't care enough about their kids to bother with them. Some of the children have had a history of abuse or neglect that goes back to infancy."

"And none of them get any kind of therapy?"

"A few do, those who display severe emotional problems, such as bouts of violence or acting out in other ways."

Jacob frowned. "Yet Daniel wasn't one of them."

"No. I'm sorry to say now that he wasn't. From what I've been told,, when Daniel arrived, he was clearly very withdrawn, and the fact that he would not talk was a concern, but it is not unheard of for children to stop speaking for a while after the death of a parent. It only becomes a concern if it continues for an extended length of time."

"And you didn't think the fact that he'd seen his parents violently killed would be traumatic enough to warrant some kind of therapy?"

"Obviously, everyone realized it would have been traumatic, but it was hoped that, because Daniel had lived in a stable family environment beforehand with no history of abuse or neglect, he'd be able to recover from the incident without any lasting problems. Children are really quite resilient, Captain Carter. It's amazing what they can recover from. Now, there's something I want to clarify. You told Stan that Daniel has been having flashbacks."

Jacob nodded. "I witnessed one he had around a week and a half ago. He admitted to me that he's had two others. He also had an extremely bad nightmare last weekend about the accident, and my wife had a hard time calming him down. From what Daniel has told me, he's had a great many others."

"He has had several since coming to live here," Diane admitted timidly.

Lucy frowned. "I see. Let me assure you that none of us knew about the flashbacks. The hospital did not report them to us. Perhaps they didn't know either. Daniel's chart did mention that he'd had nightmares, but we didn't know the severity of them." The woman turned to the Underwoods. "Has Daniel not spoken in all this time?"

"Oh! I didn't think to tell you," Diane replied. "He finally started talking. It just happened suddenly."

"We might have my daughter to thank for that," Jacob said. "She has developed a close friendship with Daniel, and I think that's what finally encouraged him to begin talking. She's the first person he spoke to."

"Really." Lucy smiled. "I'm glad to hear this. It shows that Daniel is making progress."

"He is coming out of his shell," Jacob stated. "I've seen that for myself. He was very shy and withdrawn when I first met him. He seems more confident now, and he's becoming quite the conversationalist. He had a bad moment last Sunday. He spent the weekend with us. There was an incident with my son, and Daniel got upset over his parents. He was okay after a while, but that kid's still in a lot of pain."

"I have no doubt that he is," Lucy said. She studied his expression. "I do understand the special needs and circumstances of Daniel's case, Captain Carter."

"Forgive me for saying this, Mrs. Merrick, but, when I talked to Mister Babcock, he didn't seem all that concerned about Daniel, even after I mentioned the flashbacks, and didn't seem to believe that the case warranted any special attention. Ironically, it wasn't until I talked about Daniel's advanced intelligence that Mister Babcock's tone changed."

Lucy gave another little sigh. "Stan has successfully handled many cases since joining our department, but he's never handled a case anything like Daniel's before. I will be the first to admit that he can be rather cold. We can't afford to let ourselves get too emotionally invested in the children we work with, but Stan takes the objectivity to extremes. You're not the first person to complain about his attitude."

"And what about you? Do you have experience with cases like Daniel's?"

"I've been with Child Welfare a good many years, Captain, longer than anyone else presently in our office. And, yes, I have had a great deal of experience with severely traumatized children. I've sat in the hospital with more than one. I'd probably have been the one Daniel was assigned to right from the start if I hadn't been on vacation. Knowing what I do now, I wish I had been. I'd have requested to be given his case. After your phone call, Stan reported the new developments to us, and it was decided that it would be best for Daniel's sake if I took over his case. Stan was in agreement with the decision."

"So, what does this mean?" Diane asked. "Will you be able to get Daniel some therapy?"

"We will have a therapist do an evaluation. If they believe that Daniel needs therapy, then, yes, we will provide it at no cost to you."

"That's good to know," Jacob said. "I noticed that you haven't said anything about the blunder in regards to Daniel's intelligence."

Lucy gave a nod of her head. "Yes. That was clearly another oversight on our part, although, in our own defense, since Daniel was not speaking, it would have been difficult for us to gauge the level of his intelligence without running him through tests."

"Mrs. Merrick, I figured it out just by spending a few hours with him at a park and asking him a handful of questions. It was really quite easy. Didn't anyone in your office spend more than a few minutes with him? Didn't anyone really try talking with him? Before he began speaking again, he was communicating with my daughter via written notes and did the same with us later. I think it's pretty sad that an eight-year-old managed to do what your office full of professionals failed to. It seems to me that you people were in such a hurry to get Daniel processed into the system that you didn't stop to take the time to get to know him even a little. Just one day with him would have told you a lot. Maybe then, all these mistakes wouldn't have been made."

There was a long moment of silence before Lucy replied. "I won't make any more excuses, Captain. You're right. Not enough time was spent with him before he was sent here. The initial processing was done in New York City, the case being transferred to our office once it was decided that Daniel wouldn't be kept there. Even so, Stan, as his caseworker, should have put more effort into trying to communicate with him. But the blame isn't his alone. Looking back on it now, it's clear that we should have had a psychologist do a more detailed evaluation of him. Mistakes were made, and, unfortunately, it was Daniel who paid the price. We can't change what was done. We can only move forward and see that Daniel receives the care he needs. That's the best we can do."

Jacob gazed at her a moment longer, then nodded, satisfied that the woman recognized their screw-ups and was really going to try fixing them.

Lucy settled back further into her chair. "I'd like to speak with Daniel now."

Diane went to get him. As the boy was brought into the living room, Lucy's entire demeanor changed. Her face softened, a gentle smile coming to her lips.

"Hello, Daniel," she said. "My name's Lucy. Did your foster parents tell you that I'm the new person who's going to make sure that you have everything you need?"

Daniel nodded. "You're my new caseworker."

"That's right. Come sit beside me." The boy perched on the edge of the couch. Lucy touched his left cheek. "It looks like you must have had quite a bruise there. What happened?"

"A boy at school hit me."

"Really? That wasn't very nice. Did you hit him back?"

Daniel glanced at Jacob, then at the Underwoods. "He pushed Sam down and was going to hit her, so I . . . so I jumped on top of him and started hitting him. But he threw me off and hit me."

"Sam's my daughter," Jacob explained. "The boy is the school bully and was picking on Daniel. Sam got mad, and it escalated into a fight."

Lucy smiled very faintly. "Ah." She turned back to Daniel. "So, other than bullies, how are things at school?"

"Okay. I like my teacher. He's really nice and gives me schoolwork that's for older kids."

"Really? And do you like that?"

Daniel nodded. "I was bored before because all the work was too easy."

"So, you like school."

Daniel hesitated before replying. "I like learning things."

Lucy noted the hesitation. "What about the other students? Do you like playing with them?"

Daniel's head ducked, and he didn't reply.

"It's okay, Daniel. You can tell me."

"I don't play with any of them," Daniel admitted in a low voice.

"Why not?"

"Because they didn't want to play with me. But that's okay because I didn't want to play anyway."

Lucy exchanged a glance with Jacob and Diane.

"Why didn't you want to play with them, Daniel?" the caseworker asked gently.

Daniel shrugged. "I didn't feel like playing."

"Because you were sad about your parents."

Daniel's head ducked even further. His arms went around his body in a self-hug that Jacob had seen before.

"It's okay that you felt that way, Daniel," Lucy said. "I can understand why you wouldn't want to play. If I'd been you, I wouldn't have wanted to either. How do you feel now? Do you like to play now?"

"I played with Sam, and Mark, and Mister and Mrs. Carter on the weekend, and it was fun."

"I'm very glad to hear that. I know that Sam is your friend. Are you making any other friends in school?"

"Yeah, I guess. Kenny and Nathan ate with me and Sam at lunch today, and they were nice. Kenny likes music and birds, and Nathan likes soccer and camping, and he can speak some German."

"Well, that's great to hear. I'm happy that you're making new friends." Lucy turned serious. "Daniel, I understand that you're having a lot of bad dreams. Is that true?"

Daniel nodded, not looking at her.

"Are they about your parents?" She got another nod. "Captain Carter also told me about something else that's been happening, when you sort of have a nightmare while you're awake."

"He said they were called flashbacks."

"That's right. Have you had any lately?"

"Not since the one at the park. They only happen when I hear a really loud crash or bang."

"I see. I should imagine that they're very frightening."

Daniel didn't reply to that, keeping his head down.

Lucy looked up at the Underwood. "I'd like to speak with Daniel in private for a few minutes, please."

"You can go in his room," Diane responded.

Lucy went into the room with the boy and shut the door. She sat on the bed and told Daniel to sit beside her, which the boy did a little shyly and nervously.

"So, how do you like living with the Underwoods? I'd like you to be honest with me."

There was a long pause before Daniel replied. "They're okay. Mrs. Underwood is nice."

"And Mister Underwood?"

"He doesn't talk to me much. He works all day and likes to read the paper and watch TV after he gets home."

"What about the weekend? Doesn't he ever play with you and the other kids?"

"No. If there's a ball game on, he watches that, or he works on this old car that he's fixing up."

"Hmm. And what about Mrs. Underwood?" Lucy asked. "Does she play with you and the other kids?"

"She sometimes draws with the other kids or plays games with them, and she reads books to them. They're all little kids."

"And what about you?"

"I like to go to my room and read." Daniel smiled. "Mrs. Underwood took me to the library last week, and she let me get all the books I wanted, including from the part of the library that's for grown-ups." He pointed at a big stack on the desk. "I got all those."

"Wow, that's quite a lot." She studied Daniel's face. "Have they ever spanked you, Daniel?"

The boy shook his head immediately. "No."

"They've never punished you in some way?"

"Uh uh. I thought that they might spank me when I got into the fight at school, but they didn't. They didn't even yell at me."

"That's good."

"I never got spanked very much by my mom and dad."

Lucy smiled. "Well, I'm sure that's because you're a very good boy." Her smile faded. "Daniel, are you happy here?"

She got no reply to the answer. Daniel's head had ducked low once again, his face turned away.

"Please answer me, Daniel. Are you happy here?"

The boy's head shook ever so slightly.

"Can you tell me why?"

"Because I want to go home," Daniel whispered. "I want to be with my mom and dad and be back in Egypt."

Lucy sighed. She stroked the boy's hair. "I know, Daniel. I wish you could have that. I really do. If there was any way that I could arrange for you to go back to Egypt and live with a family there, I'd do it, but that just isn't possible."

Daniel sighed. "It doesn't matter. Mom and Dad wouldn't be there anyway."

His voice was so sad that it nearly broke Lucy's heart. "Isn't there anything in your life now that makes you happy?"

"Sam makes me happy. She's my best friend ever. And I'm happy that Mister Greer is giving me different schoolwork. He's really nice to me and talks with me about things. And I really like Mister and Mrs. Carter. It was fun playing at their house."

Lucy frowned slightly at the brevity of the list. "Isn't there anything else?"

"I like books. Reading makes me happy. I wish I could finish learning Italian. I really liked learning languages."

"Well, perhaps we could arrange to let you borrow some language tapes. I'll have to look into that."

They returned to the living room. Mrs. Underwood looked a little nervous. Her husband looked bored, as he had throughout most of the time Lucy had been there. From what Daniel had said and from her own observations, it was clear that only Diane was actually being a parent to the kids. It wasn't an ideal home for any child, much less one with Daniel's special needs, but it was a great deal better than some of the homes from which Social Services had found it necessary to remove kids. It wouldn't benefit Daniel to be placed somewhere else at this time. That would just add more uncertainty and instability to the boy's life.

"Well, it's getting late, and I'm sure it's getting close to Daniel's bedtime," the social worker said. She looked at Diane. "I'll be in touch with you over the next few days." She shook Jacob's hand. "Thank you for coming, Captain, and for all the help you've been."

"You're welcome. I should get going, too. I'll walk you to your car." Jacob looked down at Daniel. "We'll see you later, kiddo. Okay?"

"Okay."

The man and woman left the house and walked to Lucy's car.

"Um . . . look. I'm sorry if I came on a bit strong in there," Jacob said. "I just care about that boy, and it pissed me off that things weren't done the way they should have been."

"I understand, Captain." They stopped at the car, and Lucy turned to him. "I have to say that it's unusual for someone who isn't connected to the case to become so personally involved."

"That's thanks to my daughter. I don't know why, but she was drawn to Daniel from the first day she met him, and she drew us into his life right along with her. She really does care about Daniel a lot, more than I've ever seen her care about any other friend." Jacob sighed. "I'm not looking forward to the day I get transferred again. Sam's heart is going to be broken."

"You get transferred often?"

"Lately, yes. I'm hoping that will stop soon. It's so hard on the kids. It's hard on all of us."

"Yes, I can imagine it is. Well, it was nice meeting you, Captain." Lucy smiled. "Somehow, I have the feeling that we'll be seeing each other again." 


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

The next morning, as Sam put her things in her locker, she saw Daniel talking with Nathan. A girl came up to them and smiled at Nathan, then at Daniel. The three of them talked for a while. Sam felt her jealousy return with a vengeance. Daniel saw her and waved at her, but she didn't wave back.

The bell rang, and she went off to class. She knew that she shouldn't be jealous, especially after what her parents said, but she couldn't help it.

When lunch time came and she entered the cafeteria, she saw that Kenny was with Daniel, and they were talking, their heads close together. Getting angry, Sam changed direction and went to sit at another table.

Daniel looked up from his conversation with Kenny to see Sam. He was about to smile and wave when she turned away and went off across the cafeteria. She sat down at a table with two other girls.

Daniel's heart plummeted all the way down into his shoes. Why wasn't Sam eating with him? She hadn't waved at him this morning, but he'd thought that maybe she didn't see him. But, now, she wasn't eating with him either. Was she mad at him because of something? Why would she be mad?

Daniel could no longer concentrate on what Kenny was saying, but tried to be polite and listen anyway. When he returned to class, he did his schoolwork only half-heartedly.

After class, Daniel hoped that Sam would come find him and say hi, but she didn't. He saw her talking with the same girls she sat with at lunch. When she saw him, she quickly turned away.

Daniel went home in silence, his heart broken. Sam didn't like him anymore. She didn't want to be his friend anymore. He'd been afraid that, if he made friends, he'd lose them and be all alone again, and he'd been right. He'd lost Sam as a friend, and, now, he didn't care if he ever had another friend again for the rest of his life.

* * *

Quentin was very worried about Daniel. Sad and silent, the boy seemed to have retreated back into his shell. He didn't answer any questions and read the paragraph the teacher asked him to in a lifeless tone. What concerned Quentin the most was that there were a great deal more errors in his work than normal, like the boy wasn't really paying attention. Something was definitely wrong.

He decided to talk to Daniel at the lunch break, but moments after the lunch bell rang, the vice principal came in to discuss something. Quentin watched over the man's shoulders as a dejected Daniel left the classroom with the other kids.

Daniel didn't get his lunch out of his locker. He wasn't hungry, and he also didn't feel very well. Instead, he went outside to the tree, the tree where he'd first met Sam and she became his friend. He sat huddled under it as the cold rain and dead leaves fell down on him, shivering in the icy wind, the coat he was wearing not warm enough to keep out the chill. He stayed there throughout the lunch break, his tears mingling with the rain on his face.

When the kids returned to class after lunch, Quentin noticed that Daniel's pants and hair were wet, and he was shivering. Did he go outside? It was quite cold out there, a big cold front having moved in suddenly.

As soon as class ended, Daniel was out the door before his teacher even realized it. All he wanted to do was go home to his room and his books. Books never went away. They never stopped being your friend. Books couldn't hurt you, and they didn't die.

Diane was worried. Daniel hadn't eaten his lunch, and he seemed very down, speaking not a word when he came home. At dinner, he poked at his food, barely eating a thing. Was he sick?

"Daniel, are you feeling okay?" she asked as they put the dishes in the sink.

The boy nodded even though his head hurt, and he felt hot and tired. He felt even worse now than he had at school.

He went to bed right after leaving the kitchen, wishing that he could stay there forever. He didn't want to go to school anymore because Sam was there, and it would hurt to see her and know that she was no longer his friend.

* * *

The next morning, Daniel didn't come to the table when Diane called him to breakfast. Concerned, she went to his room. The moment she saw him, her heart sank. His face was flushed with fever. The poor boy had been sick after all.

She came up to him and touched his forehead, frowning at the heat she felt there. She got some medicine from the bathroom and leaned over the child.

"Daniel? Daniel, honey, wake up," she said, gently shaking his shoulder.

The boy's eyes open blearily.

"I don't feel good," he said.

"I know. You're sick, Daniel. You have a fever. You must have caught the flu. Come on. I need to give you some medicine."

Diane helped him sit up enough to take the liquid medicine, then settled him back on the pillow, tucking him in.

"Get some more sleep, honey. I'm going to call the school and let them know you won't be coming in for the next few days."

Daniel closed his eyes and burrowed deeper under the covers, feeling cold. He felt really sick, tired and achy all over. His throat really hurt, and his chest felt tight and heavy. His head still ached, and his nose was all stuffy.

Daniel wondered if maybe he'd get so sick that he would die. Then he'd be with his mom and dad, and it wouldn't matter that Sam didn't like him anymore.

* * *

Daniel hadn't been at school today. Sam had been feeling really guilty about giving him the cold shoulder for the last two days and was planning on being really nice to him at lunch, but he wasn't there. She looked all over for him, but never found him. She hadn't seen him at lunch yesterday either, though she thought she'd spotted him before class started.

Sam felt really bad about what she'd done. Daniel was her best friend, and she'd been so mean to him by not talking to him because she was jealous of his new friends. She wanted to say she was sorry. She'd just have to tell him tomorrow.

But Daniel wasn't there the next day either. She looked everywhere for him. She finally asked Kenny, and he told her that Daniel hadn't been in class since Wednesday.

Sam started to get worried that something had happened to him. Then she thought of something else. What if Daniel's grandfather suddenly decided to take him? Maybe he came and took Daniel someplace far away, someplace where Sam would never see him again.

Sam was nearly in tears by the time she got home, thinking that Daniel was gone and never coming back. She barely ate anything at dinner and went right to her room afterwards. Her father came in a short while later.

"What's the matter, Sam?" he asked as he sat beside her. "You look pretty down in the dumps."

Sam suddenly burst into tears. "Daniel hasn't been in school for two days, and I think his grandpa came and took him, and I'm never going to see him again, and I didn't tell him I'm sorry!" The last word was spoken on a wail.

Jacob put an arm around her. "Hey, there. Okay, slow down and explain this again."

"Daniel wasn't at school today or yesterday," Sam told him, tears still pouring down her face.

"He wasn't? You didn't mention yesterday that he wasn't at school."

Sam turned her face away. "I haven't talked to him since Monday."

That surprised Jacob. "Why not?" Then he guessed the reason. "Sam, is it because of what you told us?"

Sam's head ducked. "Yes, sir."

Jacob's arm disappeared from around her shoulders. "Sam, I am ashamed you," he scolded. "What kind of friend were you being to Daniel by refusing to talk to him because he'd made other friends?"

Sam started sobbing. She pulled her legs up to her body and buried her face against her crossed arms. She felt like the most horrible person in the whole world. She was a terrible, awful person, and she didn't deserve to have Daniel as a friend. He probably wasn't even her friend anymore. He probably hated her and never wanted to see her again.

Jacob watched his daughter sobbing like her entire world had been destroyed. He was very disappointed in her actions. She'd allowed jealousy to control her and acted shamefully. He was also worried about Daniel. He knew how much Sam's friendship meant to the boy. How would Daniel have reacted to her suddenly drawing away from him? He was still very fragile emotionally.

Jacob wondered why Daniel hadn't been at school for two days. He was probably just sick. There was a flu bug going around despite the fact that it wasn't flu season yet. He really didn't think that Nicholas Ballard had suddenly shown up and decided he wanted his grandson after all. Perhaps he should call Daniel's foster parents and find out what was going on.

"Sam, I'm going to call the Underwoods and ask about Daniel. I don't want you leaving your room."

Jacob didn't know whether or not his daughter had heard him. She was still sobbing. He got up and went into the living room.

"What's going on with Sam?" Laura asked. "I can hear her crying like her heart is broken."

Jacob explained everything. "I'm going to call the Underwoods. I'm betting that Daniel is just sick with a cold or flu, but I'd feel better knowing for sure. And Sam needs to know, too."

The call was answered by Diane.

"Hello, this is Captain Carter. I was calling about Daniel. Sam says he's been absent from school the past two days, and we were concerned."

"Thank you for your concern, Captain. Daniel's quite sick, a bad case of the flu. I called the doctor this afternoon, and he told me that, if he gets worse, I should bring him in on Monday. I wish Paul was here. He had to go out of town on business. It's not easy taking care of a sick child plus three others all by myself. And little Susy has a mild ear infection, so she's cranky and wants to be held all the time."

"Hold on a moment." Jacob covered the mouthpiece and turned to Laura. "Daniel is sick, like I figured, a bad bout of the flu. Mrs. Underwood is by herself, trying to care for him and the other kids, and one of them has an ear infection to boot."

"Oh, dear. I'd be happy to go over and help with Daniel."

Jacob smiled at his wife fondly, having known that her generous heart would make her offer to help.

He got back on the phone. "Mrs. Underwood? My wife says that she'd be happy to come over and help take care of Daniel."

"Oh, I couldn't impose on you like that."

"It's not an imposition. Laura would be glad to help."

"Oh, thank you so much. I really could use the help."

"Would you like her to come over tonight for a while, at least until all the kids are in bed?" Jacob asked.

"If she's sure it wouldn't be a bother."

"She'll be there in a few minutes."

As Laura gathered some things she thought she might need, Jacob went back to Sam's room. The sobbing had stopped, but Sam was still crying, lying on the bed with her face in the pillow.

"Sam, I called Daniel's foster parents. Daniel's sick with the flu. That's why he wasn't at school. Your mom's going over there now to help take care of him for a while."

Sam uncovered her face. "He's not gone?"

"No, he's not gone. When he gets better, you have a very big apology to make to him."

"He won't ever forgive me. He probably hates me."

Jacob sat on the bed. "I doubt he hates you, Sam, but you probably did hurt him. Your friendship is important to him. How would you feel if he'd done what you did?"

Fresh tears welled into Sam's eyes. "It would really hurt a lot."

"Yes, it would. Friendship is very important, Sam, and you need to cherish your friends. Someday, you might have to say goodbye to Daniel. Before that happens, you need to be the best friend you can be to him."

Shame filled Sam's face. "I'm a terrible friend."

Jacob paused before replying. This had been a very big bump in the road of their friendship, but, up until now, Sam had been a wonderful friend to Daniel. But she needed to learn how serious her mistake had been.

"You're not a terrible friend, Sam, but you did make a big mistake, and you need to fix it," he stated.

"I will. I promise."

* * *

Diane looked exhausted when she came to the door. She was holding a four-year-old girl, who was very fussy.

"Thank you so much for coming," the woman said to Laura. "I'm just about at my wit's end. What a terrible time for Paul to be gone. Please come in."

Laura stepped into the house. "How's Daniel?"

"He's very sick, the poor boy. I know he's absolutely miserable, but he's hardly complained at all. His bedroom is down the hall, last door on the right."

Laura went to Daniel's bedroom. She found the boy lying uncovered on the bed, having kicked the blankets off. His face was flushed bright with fever, shining with perspiration. As she got closer, she could hear a faint wheeze in his respiration.

Laura sat on the end of his bed and touched his face, dismayed by the amount of heat present.

"Daniel? It's Laura Carter, sweetheart. I'm here to help take care of you."

Daniel opened fever-bright eyes to look at her, but he didn't say anything. He began coughing. It was deep and wet, testifying to the congested state of his lungs. He made a little sound of pain, hands pressed to his chest.

"Are you in pain?" Laura asked, concerned.

"My chest hurts," Daniel whispered weakly. Tears pooled in his eyes. "I want my mom."

"Oh, honey, I know." Laura caressed his face. "But I'm here, and I'll take care of you."

Daniel's eyes closed, tears slipping free. "Sam doesn't like me anymore."

Laura grasped his hand. "No, Daniel, that's not true. She loves you. She just got jealous. She's very, very sorry that she hasn't been talking to you, and she's very sad that she hurt you."

Daniel turned his face from her. "Everybody goes away, and then I'm all alone."

Laura's eyes filled with tears. She gently gathered the sick child in her arms.

"That's not true, Daniel. You're not alone. You have people who love you. _We_ love you, and we're right here. Sam loves you, and she hasn't gone away. She's still your friend."

Daniel said nothing more, the wheezing, frequent coughs and little noises of pain the only sounds he made as Laura continued to hold him, trying to give what comfort she could.

* * *

It was nine o'clock when Jacob answered the phone. The caller was Laura.

"Jacob, I'm going to stay for a few more hours. Diane is exhausted and needs to get some sleep, and I don't want Daniel to be alone."

"How is he?"

"He's really sick. I think that Diane needs to take him to the clinic tomorrow." Laura paused. "I've managed to get him to talk to me a little. He thinks that Sam doesn't like him anymore."

Jacob cursed silently.

"I tried to tell him that wasn't true, but I don't think he believed me. Jacob, I found out that he sat under that tree at school in the pouring rain all during the lunch break on Wednesday."

"Wednesday? That's the day it was so cold."

"I know. He would have already been sick by then, and that probably made it even worse. I'm sure that's why his flu is so bad."

"The poor kid. How late do you think you'll be?"

"I don't know. Diane needs to get at least a few hours' sleep. I told her to go on to bed."

"All right. If you need anything, just call."

"I will."

* * *

The next call from Laura came at 1:30 in the morning, rousing Jacob from sleep.

"Laura, what's wrong?" the captain asked.

"It's Daniel. We need to get him to the hospital, Jacob. I think he may have pneumonia. He's having a terribly hard time breathing. I should have guessed this sooner. I should have known that it was more than just the flu."

Jacob sat up, tossing back the covers. He could hear the worry in his wife's voice.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked.

"Diane's nearly panicking. I can call an ambulance, but I don't want her to be waiting alone at the hospital while the doctors see to Daniel. But someone has to stay here with the other kids. Diane gave me the number for Daniel's caseworker. Could you call her and ask her if there's someone who could come over and watch the kids? I just really want to be at the hospital."

Jacob hurried into the living room to get a pencil and piece of paper. "I'll call her right now. Give me the number." He scribbled the number down. "Call the ambulance, Laura. I'll take care of everything else."

The instant his wife ended the call, Jacob contacted Lucy Merrick. She was alarmed by the news and said that she'd get someone to the house right away and that she would be on the road herself as soon as possible. Considering that it would be quite a drive for her, Jacob was impressed by her dedication.

After hanging up with her, Jacob went back to the bedroom and began throwing on some clothes. He couldn't stay here. He had to be at the hospital.

Jacob went down the hall to the kids' bedrooms. He went to Sam's first, not knowing how he was going to tell her what was happening.

He bent over her sleeping form and shook her shoulder lightly.

"Sam. Sam, wake up."

The little girl moaned in objection, then her eyes opened.

"Daddy?"

"You need to get up, Sam. Your mom called from Daniel's house. He's very sick, and they need to take him to the hospital."

Sheer terror filled Sam's eyes. "T-the hospital?"

"Yes, sweetheart. Mom thinks he has pneumonia."

Sam began to cry. "Is he gonna die?"

"No, Sammie. I'm sure he'll be all right. They have medicine and other things to treat pneumonia. Most people recover just fine."

Sam sat up. "I want to go."

"That's why I'm getting you up. So go get some clothes on while I wake your brother."

Fifteen minutes later, they were on the road. Jacob knew that they'd very likely beat the ambulance by quite a few minutes, but he figured that there was no sense in going to the Underwoods' place first.

They'd been in the waiting room for a while when Jacob saw his wife come in. He saw the surprise on her face when she spied him and the kids. She immediately came over, going into Jacob's arms.

Sam jumped up and just about threw herself at her mother.

"Mommy, where's Daniel? Is he okay? Daddy said he's really, really sick."

"Yes, he is very sick, but the doctors are taking good care of him. I'm sure he'll be fine." She turned to her husband. "Diane's filling out the paperwork."

They all took seats. Diane joined them a while later, a frightened look in her eyes.

"I called Paul," she said. "He can't make it back until tomorrow night." She began twisting the strap of her purse. "Oh, this is just terrible. I so hope Daniel's going to be all right."

Lucy arrived several minutes later. Jacob introduced her to Sam and Mark.

"Any word yet?" she asked.

"No, we're still waiting," the captain replied.

By the time a doctor came out, both of the kids had fallen asleep in their chairs. He looked back and forth between Diane and Laura.

"Mrs. Underwood?"

"Yes?" Diane replied.

"I'm Doctor Fielding. I'm sorry for not coming to speak with you sooner."

"How is he?"

"We've confirmed that Daniel does have pneumonia, most likely resulting from the flu. Based on some of his symptoms, we're pretty sure that his is bacterial. We've started him on antibiotics."

"Is he going to be all right?" Laura asked.

"Yes, I think so. Fortunately, we caught it before it got really bad. We'll want to keep him in the hospital for a few days to make sure he's going to be all right since bacterial pneumonia can be a great deal more serious than the viral type. Then it will be safe for him to go home, though he'll have to be restricted to bed rest and continue taking the antibiotics."

Everyone relaxed at the sound of the good news.

Jacob gave a silent sigh of relief. "Can he have visitors?"

"Not until morning, after visiting hours start." The doctor looked at Diane. "You can come back into the ER and sit with him, if you'd like. I think he's a little frightened by what's going on."

Jacob saw the look in his wife's eyes and knew that she wanted to go, too.

"Can two people come back there?" he asked.

"Um, yes, that would be all right."

"Laura, go on with Diane. I'll wait out here with the kids."

Giving her husband a grateful look, Laura went with Diane and the doctor to the ER. Daniel was all alone in the exam room when they came in, and he looked scared. The two women came up to him.

"Hello, Daniel," Diane said with a smile that was a little forced. "How are you doing?"

"I want to go home," he said through the wheezing. "I don't like hospitals."

Laura's heart cracked open a little, thinking of the last time the boy was in a hospital.

She caressed his hair. "I know, Daniel. I don't like hospitals either. But you're very sick, so they need to keep you here for a few days, until you're a little better."

Daniel looked straight into her eyes, and, in a completely calm voice, asked, "Am I going to die?"

Horrified at the question, the two women gasped.

"No!" Laura exclaimed. "No, honey, you're not going to die. You're going to be just fine."

The boy said nothing in response, and the look on his face deeply worried Laura. He should be relieved, yet it was almost as if he didn't care.

It took quite a while for them to get Daniel settled in a room. The two women accompanied him there. Once he was all situated in the bed, the nurse explained to Laura that it was after visiting hours, and she'd have to leave. She left very reluctantly, telling Daniel that she'd be back in the morning.

When she returned to the waiting room, she saw that there was an elderly woman sitting with Jacob. It turned out that the woman was Daniel's caseworker.

"Your husband has filled me in on Daniel's condition," the woman said. "What a terrible shame that this had to happen. I'm just relieved that he's going to be all right."

Jacob woke up the kids.

"Daniel's going to be okay," Jacob told them.

"Can I see him?" Sam asked.

"No, Sammie, I'm sorry, but they wouldn't let you in there, even if it was visiting hours."

"Why not?"

"Because you're too young. Children aren't allowed to visit people in the hospital."

"But that's stupid!" Sam raged. "And it's mean." She started crying again. "I want to see Daniel and tell him I'm sorry and that I'm still his friend."

"I already told him, Sam," Laura responded. Of course, she wasn't going to say that the boy didn't appear to believe her.

"You can talk to him in a few days when he goes home," Jacob told his daughter.

"But that's so long from now."

"I'm sorry, Sam, but there's nothing I can do about it. Those are the rules."

Sam frowned. "Well, they're dumb rules."

Back home, the kids settled in their beds, Jacob crawled under the covers with his wife.

"Okay, tell me what's wrong," he said. "I can tell that something's worrying you."

"It's Daniel." Laura met his eyes. "Jacob, he asked us if he was going to die."

"Damn."

"What's worse is that, when I told him that he was going to be fine, it's like he didn't care. Jacob, it's like it didn't really matter to him if he was going to die."

Jacob was alarmed by his wife's words. "Laura, are you sure? Maybe his reaction was just because he's so sick and miserable. Heck, there have been times when I felt so rotten that I almost wished I was dead."

"I don't know. Maybe you're right. It could have been just because he's ill. But, Jacob, he was so hurt by what Sam did. When I talked to him at the house, he said that everybody goes away, and then he's all alone."

Jacob cursed again, shaking his head. He'd been worried about what Sam's actions did to the boy, and, now he knew that his concern was well-founded. Daniel had been doing so well. How much had this set him back? Would he ever allow anyone back into his heart and give them his trust?

"We need to fix this," Laura said, "but I don't know how."

"Sam's the only one who can fix this, Laura. I just hope that Daniel will let her."

* * *

Getting a neighbor to watch the kids, Jacob and Laura went to the hospital shortly after nine the next morning. Daniel was alone when they arrived. The room had another bed in it, but that one was empty.

Jacob was appalled by the child's appearance and how dreadful his breathing sounded. He looked so tiny and fragile lying there.

Daniel was awake and turned to them, but didn't say anything. He was very listless, his eyes devoid of any spark of life. It just about killed Jacob to see him like that.

"Hey, kiddo," he said, forcing a smile to his lips. "When you decide to get sick, you don't mess around, do you. So, are they treating you okay in this joint?"

Daniel nodded faintly.

"Honey, where's your foster mom?" Laura asked.

"She had to go home," Daniel wheezed.

"And you've been alone all morning?"

The boy shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I'm used to being alone now."

Jacob and his wife gave each other a long look, sharing their distress.

"Well, at least one of us is going to stay with you all day today. I promise," the captain told the child.

"Why?"

"Why? Because we care, Daniel, and we don't want you to be lonely."

Daniel's eyes dropped away. "I thought because Sam didn't like me anymore that you wouldn't either."

_'Dear God,'_ whispered Jacob's mind. He sat on the edge of the bed. "Daniel, look at me," he commanded.

After a long moment, the boy complied, though his eyes kept shifting away.

"Sam does still like you, and we all still care very, very much. Sam was jealous because you were spending time with other friends. She got used to it just being the two of you. She reacted by getting mad and not talking to you. What she did was very wrong and very bad, and she knows it. She is so sorry, Daniel. She'd come here and tell you herself if the hospital would let her visit. If you hadn't gotten sick, she'd have apologized to you days ago."

Tears welled in Daniel's eyes and flowed down his face. "She didn't wave at me, and she didn't eat with me. She wouldn't even look at me. She was with those girls, and she didn't like me or want to be my friend anymore. I thought maybe she was going to be my forever friend, but she wasn't. I don't want any more friends, not ever."

Laura was crying now, and Jacob was not far off. Daniel's eyes were closed now, his face turned completely away. Getting so upset had made his breathing a lot worse, and Jacob wondered if they should call a nurse. But there was something else that needed to be done first.

Jacob leaned forward and grabbed both of Daniel's hands. He wanted to hold the boy, but the IV and other things would make it difficult.

"Daniel, you listen to me. Don't you think like that. Don't you ever, _ever_ think like that. Sam loves you, Danny. She loves you very much. Yes, she made a mistake, a really big mistake, but it wasn't because she doesn't care anymore. When people get jealous they can do really stupid things, things that hurt people. Please give her another chance. If you don't, it will hurt her so badly." He stared at the child. "Do you want to hurt her?"

Daniel shook his head.

"Then please forgive her, Danny."

Daniel started coughing. It went on for quite a while, and Jacob decided he'd better call a nurse. When she came in, she saw that her patient was upset and scolded the Carters for it, telling them that the boy needed rest, peace and quiet.

"Would you like us to leave, Daniel?" Laura asked, hoping the answer would be no. She got her wish several seconds later when he shook his head. Though she didn't know yet if Daniel was going to give their daughter another chance, apparently he was willing to believe that _they_ still cared.

The bout of coughing had exhausted the boy, and he fell asleep a short while later.

"Oh, Jacob," Laura sighed sadly.

"I know. I just pray to God that this can be fixed. I wish we could get Sam in here. I wish we could get her in here. Daniel needs to see her and hear her tell him herself that she's sorry and still cares. It's too bad that she's too big for me to smuggle in."

"Maybe if we talked to the doctors, explained the situation, they'd make an exception."

"I suppose it's worth a try."

They told a nurse that they wanted to speak with Daniel's doctor as soon as it was possible. When they finally did talk to him an hour later, he said that he couldn't make any exceptions to the rules.

"If I make an exception in this case, then other patients will expect me to do the same," he explained.

No amount of cajoling or reasoning would change his mind, and the Carters had to give up on the hope that Sam would be able to visit the boy in the hospital. They'd just have to do their best to cheer Daniel up before then. 


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Jacob left shortly before noon because their neighbor couldn't watch the kids past twelve. Laura got a novel from the gift shop to read. She was on page five when Daniel awoke.

"Hi, sweetheart," she said. "You had a nice nap. I bet lunch will be here soon."

"I'm not hungry."

"You need to eat, Daniel. You have to keep up your strength."

Daniel saw the book. "What are you reading?"

"Oh, it's a mystery. It takes place in England in the eighteenth century." She smiled. "There's talk of curses and ghosts."

The tiniest glimmer of interest lit within the boy's eyes.

"Would you like me to read it to you?" Laura asked, hoping desperately to see that little glimmer brighten.

"You don't have to," Daniel replied somberly.

"No, I want to. It will be fun. I bet you know things about that time and place."

"Not a whole lot."

Daniel's lunch was brought in, and Laura got an idea. "I'll make you a deal. I'll read a page for every bite of your lunch that you eat. And if you eat it all, I'll add an extra five pages. Okay?"

Daniel appeared to give it some thought. Then he nodded.

As the boy ate, Laura read, going back to the beginning of the book. Obviously, keeping track of how many bites Daniel took was impossible while reading, but she hadn't intended to anyway. She'd read as much of the book as Daniel wanted her to, even if it was all the way to the end. She'd do whatever it took to make the child happy.

Daniel did eat all of his lunch, though it was obvious that he was struggling to get the last few bites down. Laura made note of the fact that offering to read to him appeared to be a very effective bribe.

Laura found that reading the book out loud to the boy increased its appeal, and she got quite involved in the story. She wasn't sure how long she'd been reading when Daniel interrupted her.

"Mrs. Carter?"

"Hmm?"

"I think you've read lots more pages than I took bites."

Laura blinked a few times. "Oh. Have I? I wasn't keeping track. Would you like me to stop?"

"If you want to."

"Well, how about if I finish this chapter? I'm actually pretty hungry myself and should go get something to eat."

Daniel's gaze fell. "Oh."

"I'll come back, Daniel," Laura quickly told him. "I promise. I'll just eat something in the hospital cafeteria."

"You don't have to."

"Daniel, I _want_ to."

Daniel glanced at her. "Okay."

Laura finished the chapter, then went to get a very late lunch. She called home on the pay phone before getting her meal.

"How's Daniel doing?" Jacob asked.

"Better. I've been reading a novel I bought to him. I bribed him into eating all his lunch."

Jacob laughed. "How did you bribe him?"

Laura explained.

"Huh. If only all kids would accept that kind of bribe. Usually, kid bribes involve money or toys. Do you want me to switch with you?"

"No, I'm fine. We can switch later this afternoon so that you don't have to be the one to fix dinner for the kids."

"Ah, good idea. I'd hate to accidentally poison them."

When Laura returned to Daniel's room, she was surprised to see a very tall, dark-haired man standing beside the bed.

"Hello. You must be Mrs. Carter," he said with a warm smile. "I'm Quentin Greer, Daniel's teacher."

"It's nice to meet you, Mister Greer. Daniel's talked about you quite a bit."

Quentin smiled down at Daniel. "Well, I'm flattered." He returned his gaze to Laura. "I called Daniel's foster mother a while ago to find out how Daniel was feeling, and she told me about the pneumonia, so I decided to come visit, see how Daniel was doing."

"Mister Greer is going to give me some schoolwork to do," Daniel said.

Laura was surprised. "He is?"

"Daniel was worried that he'd get behind in his work," the teacher explained. "I told him that wouldn't be a problem, but he was still concerned, so, after he's out of the hospital, I'll bring him the history book he's been studying." He looked at Daniel with a smile. "Then, once he's well enough, he can write a nice long book report on it, and I'll have several tests ready for when he comes back to school."

"Well, that's very nice of you, Mister Greer," Laura said.

"Daniel, do you mind if I talk with Mrs. Carter outside for a few minutes?"

Upon getting a shake of the head from the boy, Quentin and Laura left the room and went to a small sitting area.

"I'm concerned about Daniel," the teacher said. "I realize that he's sick and feeling miserable, but his mood is very low. I know that something was definitely wrong on Wednesday. He appeared to be quite depressed. When I found out the next day that he was sick, I thought perhaps that's what the problem was, but I'm not so sure now."

Laura gave a sigh. "You're right, I'm afraid. It's a lot more than just the illness." She explained about what happened with Sam. "It hurt Daniel terribly. He's convinced that Sam no longer likes even though both I and my husband have told him otherwise. I think Daniel believes that anyone he cares about will go away and leave him alone again."

Quentin was deeply dismayed and upset by the news. Daniel had been doing so well, and, now, this happens. How bad of a setback was it going to be?

"I really wish I'd known this was happening," he said. "I'd have set those two down together and gotten the whole thing worked out."

"You have no idea how I wish you could have done that. Sam and Daniel really do need to talk. Jacob and I tried to get permission to bring Sam here, but we had no luck. We've been trying to get Daniel's mood up, and it's worked a little, but it's Sam who needs to fix this. I know she's going to try her best. She feels terrible about what she did. But whether or not Daniel's going to forgive her and learn to trust her again . . . that I just don't know."

"I sincerely hope that he will. Daniel needs all the love he can get, and having friends will help him heal."

Laura studied the man. "You really seem to care about Daniel."

"Yes, I do. I care about all my kids, but Daniel . . . well, he's special, and I mean in more ways that just his mind. Right from the start, I took a personal interest in him. Perhaps it was because I could empathize with him, in a way. I had a bad stutter at his age, and school was really tough for me because of the teasing by the students and the misconception that I was stupid. Because of that, I saw a little bit of myself in Daniel. You have no idea how much I was cheering on the inside when Daniel started speaking." Quentin chuckled. "He caught me totally by surprise when he raised his hand to answer that question. I had to keep myself from jumping up and dancing around the room when I heard him talk for the first time."

Laura smiled, now understanding why Daniel liked this man so much. The smile didn't last long, however, when she thought about the fact that he wouldn't be Daniel's teacher for much longer. Why was it that everything important to Daniel kept getting taken away? It was so unfair.

Quentin looked at his watch and sighed. "I'm afraid that I'm going to have to get going. My wife and I have tickets for a concert in Syracuse tonight, and Kathleen will skin me alive if we're late. I'll just go in and say goodbye to Daniel."

They returned to the room, and Quentin walked up to the bed.

"Hey, Daniel. I'm afraid I have to go, but I'd like to come back and visit tomorrow. Would that be okay?"

Daniel nodded. "Will you bring the book?"

"Ah ah. I said after you got out of the hospital, kiddo. You need rest, Daniel, and you can't rest while studying history. However, I just might bring you something else. Okay?"

"Okay. Bye, Mister Greer."

Quentin laid a hand on the boy's head, wanting to give him a hug but figuring that might not be a good idea. He was Daniel's teacher, and, though it was okay for a teacher to care about their students, they weren't supposed to let themselves get too emotionally attached to any of the kids. The school frowned on it, and it made it hard when the time came to say goodbye. Up until now, Quentin had been able to stay safely on the "right" side of the line, but, with Daniel, it would be so very easy for that line to be crossed.

"Bye bye, Daniel," he said. "Be good and get lots of sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

Jacob knocked on the door of his daughter's room, then peeked his head in. She was sitting on the floor, her back against the bed. She wasn't playing or reading. She was just sitting there, staring at the floor and looking miserable. The captain knew how guilt could eat you up inside, and, apparently, even though she was only eight, Sam was in the midst of some serious guilt-tripping.

Jacob walked over and sat on the bed, his daughter giving no indication that she was even aware of his presence, although he knew that she must be.

"Sam, I know that you're feeling really bad about this, and it's good that you are since it means that you understand how wrong your actions were, but there's something I want to tell you now that I didn't before. You've been a very good friend to Daniel, probably the best friend he could have. I've been proud of the way you've stood up for him and been there for him."

He heard his daughter sniffle and realized that she was crying.

"I'm not a good friend anymore," she whispered.

Jacob sighed. "You did make a big mistake, Sam, and you did hurt Daniel. I'm not going to sugar-coat it and excuse your actions because of your age. You knew even before you told me about it that what you did was wrong. But, if you can fix this, you can still be a good friend to Daniel."

Seeing that his daughter wasn't going to be moving any time soon, Jacob got down on the floor beside her.

"Sam, I know that I was really hard on you before," he said. "Do you understand why?"

Sam nodded her head. "Because what I did was really wrong and mean, and you were mad at me."

"Not so much mad as upset. But I am sorry that what I said upset you so much."

Sam's head dipped lower. "Are you still ashamed of me?"

Jacob pulled his daughter close. "No, Sam, I'm not ashamed of you. I know that you'll do your best to make things right and that when you tell Daniel you're sorry, you'll really mean it. When someone makes a mistake, the thing that really shows what kind of person they are is how hard they try to fix that mistake, and I know that I will be proud of how hard you fight to fix this."

At last Sam's eyes lifted to her father's. "Please, Daddy. I want to see Daniel. Can't you make it so that I can see him?"

"We tried, Sam. We talked to Daniel's doctor and tried to get him to allow you in, but he said no."

"Couldn't you sneak me in?"

"If Daniel's room was on the first floor, I would be very tempted to do that, but it's not, so we can't get you in through the window, and you're too big to hide in my coat. Besides, I'm afraid that, if we tried sneaking you in, the hospital would forbid your mother and I from visiting Daniel again. I know it's really hard to wait, Sam, but there's nothing more we can do."

* * *

It was 4:30 when Laura left the hospital, having explained to Daniel that Jacob would be coming soon. She promised that she'd be back tomorrow to continue reading the book.

When Jacob arrived, Daniel was asleep. He touched the child's hot face. The fever was still pretty high, though the doctor had assured them that it was coming down. It appeared that Daniel was responding well to the antibiotics.

Jacob had called Diane and told her that Daniel was being kept company. The woman thanked him and explained that she had been planning on going back to the hospital, but neither of the girls she used as babysitters were available. She hoped it would be different tomorrow. Jacob had let her know that, if she couldn't make it, it was all right because he or Laura could stay with Daniel. Jacob actually had errands he'd been intending to do this weekend, but none of them mattered as much as making sure that Daniel wasn't alone.

He didn't know what they were going to do come Monday. Laura could spend the morning with Daniel, but she had an appointment in the afternoon that it was too late to cancel or reschedule. And then the kids would be coming home. Hopefully, Diane could be with Daniel during the afternoon. The boy had been all alone the last time he was in the hospital, and Jacob was determined that, this time, he'd be by himself as little as possible.

A moan from the bed drew Jacob's attention to it. Daniel was moving restlessly, and the captain guessed that he was having yet another nightmare. Standing, Jacob went to him and touched his face.

"Shh, Daniel. It's all right. I'm here."

After a moment, Daniel quieted, and he slipped back into a deeper sleep. It was around an hour later that he awoke.

"Well, hello there, sleepyhead," Jacob greeted with a smile. "How are you feeling? Any better?"

Daniel nodded.

"That's good. So, do you think you feel well enough to play me a game of chess?"

Daniel's eyes brightened a little with interest. "Chess?"

Jacob picked up the little travel set that he'd brought. "Yep. Unless you'd rather play checkers. That's on the other side of the board."

"Chess please."

Jacob set up the board, letting Daniel pick which color he wanted. He chose white.

They ended up holding off on the game because Daniel's dinner arrived just then.

After they were alone again, Jacob leaned close to the boy and said in a low voice, "If you promise not to tell, I'm going to go get a hamburger and sneak it in so I can eat it here."

"You're not allowed to eat in here?"

"I don't know. I've never asked."

"I don't want you to get into trouble."

"Oh, don't worry about me. So, we got a deal? Of course, I expect you to eat all your dinner."

Daniel nodded.

Jacob went to the closest hamburger place and got a burger and fries. Daniel was still working on his dinner when the captain returned, bag of food stashed under his jacket.

The hamburger wasn't quite gone when a nurse came walking in.

"Oops. I think I've been found out," Jacob said.

The woman looked at the man's meal with a frown. "You didn't give Daniel any of that, did you?"

"No, ma'am, not a bite. He's been eating his own dinner. I just didn't want him eating alone."

"Well . . . all right, then."

She checked the readings on one of the machines, then left.

Jacob looked at Daniel. "Whew! I guess I'm not going to get into trouble after all."

"That's good."

Once the food was gone – or mostly gone in Daniel's case – they started their game. Even as sick as he was, it was clear that the boy definitely knew how to play. Healthy, he'd probably be a worthy opponent for Jacob, and the captain decided that they'd have to play again sometime.

By the time the game ended, Daniel was very sleepy.

"Are you going to stay here tonight?" the boy asked after a big yawn.

"No, I can't, Daniel. Visiting hours will be over soon. Then they'll make me leave. But either Laura or I will be here in the morning as soon as they let us in."

"How much longer do I have to stay here?"

"I don't know. Hopefully, just another couple of days."

Daniel fidgeted with the sheet. "Are the nurses going to get mad if I have a nightmare?"

Jacob's expression firmed. "No, they're not. In fact, I will have a talk with them about that. Now, go on to sleep, Daniel. Everything will be fine."

The boy closed his eyes and was soon asleep. Jacob put the chess set in the drawer of the table by the bed. He then headed to the nurse's station.

"I need to talk to you about Daniel." He gave the boy's room number.

"Yes, Mister Jackson. What can we help you with?" a nurse asked.

"Oh, um . . . I'm not Daniel's father. Daniel's parents are both dead. He's in foster care, and I'm a . . . friend of the family."

"Oh, I see. What is this about?"

"Daniel recently witnessed the death of his parents, and it was very traumatic for him. He has frequent nightmares about it. The nurses in the hospital he was in for a while after the accident apparently had little patience with the nightmares and the outcries Daniel gave while having them. When he kept having them, they drugged him to keep him asleep all night."

The head of another nurse shot up, and she stared at him. "Which hospital was this?" she asked sharply.

"I don't know. It was in New York City."

"Well, I don't know what the policies are there, but I assure you that we would not fully sedate a patient because they were having bad dreams. If we thought it would help him rest, we might lightly sedate him, but that's it. If Daniel does have a nightmare, we'll calm him as best we can."

"Thank you."

Hoping that Daniel would be in good hands with the nurses, Jacob headed for home.

* * *

Like with the previous day, Laura took the first shift with Daniel. This time, however, she brought her lunch with her so that she wouldn't have to leave to get something to eat.

She resumed reading the book to the boy, happy that he was showing such interest in it. His mood upon her arrival had been pretty much the same as it was when she saw him last. At least he hadn't had a nightmare during the night. That was one good thing.

It wasn't long after lunch when Daniel's teacher returned, holding a paper bag.

"Good afternoon," he greeted. "How are you feeling, Daniel? Better?"

The boy nodded. "What's in the bag?"

"Oh, this bag? Hmm. Let's see." Quentin made a show of rummaging around in the bag. Then he pulled out a book and set it on the table. "Treasure Island." He withdrew another one. "Kidnapped." A third book came out. "White Fang and. . . ." out came a fourth book, "one I know you'll be interested in, The Second Jungle Book."

Daniel's eyes, which had brightened at the sight of the books, lit even more brightly upon hearing the title of the final one.

"There's a second Jungle Book?"

"There sure is. Not a lot of people know that. Obviously, you're not going to be here long enough to read all of those, but I wanted to give you some choices."

Daniel picked up the sequel to The Jungle Book. "Thank you, Mister Greer. Did you get these from the library?"

"Yes, but not the public one. Those are from my private library."

Daniel gazed at him with interest. "You have your very own library?"

"Yes, I do. Of course it's not nearly as big at the public one, but I've managed to collect a few hundred books over the years. Some of them are first editions, like that one you're holding."

"Does that mean it's worth a lot of money?" Daniel asked.

"Oh, not as much as a lot of first editions are, but it wasn't exactly cheap."

"I'll be really careful with it," the boy promised sincerely.

Quentin smiled and gently ruffled his hair. "I know you will, Daniel." He looked up at Laura. "I wish I could stay and chat for a while, but I didn't get all the test papers graded for Monday, so I need to get that done." His eyes returned to Daniel. "I'll stop by after school tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," Daniel responded. He gazed up into the teacher's eyes. "Thank you for being so nice, Mister Greer."

Quentin felt his throat tightening. He took the boy's hand and gave it a squeeze. "You are very welcome, Daniel." He gave the child an intense look. "Just remember that I care about you very much. Will you do that?"

Daniel nodded, his expression serious.

Saying goodbye, Quentin left the room. He stopped upon hearing his name being called. He turned to see Laura coming up to him.

"I just wanted to thank you for the books," she said, "especially since they're from your own collection. Not many people would entrust a child with a first edition that I know must have cost quite a bit."

"Daniel isn't just any child, Mrs. Carter. It's pretty common for kids to mark up their schoolbooks and be a bit rough on them, but Daniel is very careful with all his books and wouldn't dream of writing in one. I had no fear that he'd handle those books with care."

"Well, thank you all the same. I can really see why Daniel likes you so well." Laura smiled. "I think you're pretty terrific, too."

Quentin's head ducked in embarrassment, which was an odd thing to see in such a big man.

"Well, thank you," he said. "That's very kind of you to say. I'd also like to say that what you and your husband are doing for that boy is wonderful, and I know that it's going a long way toward his healing process."

"We just care about him and want to do all we can for him."

Quentin nodded. "Which is more than a lot of people did for him. I've learned more about Daniel's story, what he's gone through and the things that were done, and I'm just happy that he now has people in his life who truly care about him. He needs that more than anything else."

"Yes, he does."

Saying goodbye to the teacher, Laura went back in Daniel's room. She smiled upon seeing that he was already reading.

"So, do you want to read that instead or would you like me to continue reading my book?" she asked.

Daniel set his book aside. "You can keep reading, if you like."

Laura's smile grew. "I like."

* * *

Daniel was sleeping when Laura went home to switch places with Jacob.

"How's he doing?" her husband asked.

"Better physically. His breathing sounds a bit better, and his fever is down some more."

"And emotionally?"

"He likes having me read to him. Mister Greer came by with several books from his own collection, which brightened Daniel's mood a bit."

"But?"

"But he's still down. Oh, I know that part of it is because he's sick, but there's simply no joy in him. I honestly think he's waiting for us to abandon him and leave him alone. I think he's afraid to be happy because he figures that, as soon as he is, it'll be crushed again."

Jacob sighed. This really wasn't good. "Have you heard anything about when they're going to release him?"

"I asked the nurse, and she said that they're tentatively aiming for Tuesday. It all depends on how well he continues improving. I really hate the thought of him being alone Monday afternoon. His teacher said he'd stop by after school, but I doubt he'll be able to stay long. Did you hear from Diane?"

"Yes, it looks like she's not going to be able to get there today. She got a babysitter, but the child who has the ear infection wouldn't let her leave. Susy refused to accept being taken by the babysitter and kept crying every time Diane tried to put her down. Diane decided that she had to stay. She's hoping that Susy will be better tomorrow. I told her that you'd be there with Daniel in the morning."

"I really do hope that Daniel will be sent home on Tuesday," Laura said with a sigh.

"So do I."

"How's Sam been doing?"

"About the same as yesterday. She emphatically told me that she wasn't going to school until she got to talk to Daniel."

Laura smiled faintly. "And what did you say to that?"

"I told her that we'd discuss it later. Perhaps if we tell her that Daniel might be leaving the hospital on Tuesday and she can talk to him then, it'll cheer her up. As it is now, pretty much all she does is mope in her bedroom."

Bringing some cold chicken with him for dinner, Jacob headed off to the hospital a short while later. When he got to Daniel's room, he found the boy reading one of his books.

"Hello, Captain Carter," he greeted, not a hint of a smile on his face.

"Hello, Daniel." Jacob looked at the small pile of books. "That was certainly very nice of your teacher to bring these."

Daniel nodded. "I like having books to read. It's okay being by myself if I have books."

Jacob frowned slightly at the comment. On the surface, there seemed to be nothing wrong with it. In fact, it was good that the boy could entertain himself with books when there was no one around. But Jacob was sensing that there was something else to this, something that was _not_ good.

Daniel didn't feel up to a game of either chess or checkers, so, instead, Jacob talked for quite a while about his own childhood, things that had happened when he was a kid. Daniel listened to it all with interest, every once in a while asking a question or making a remark.

When visiting hours ended, the boy was still awake, and Jacob really hated to leave. He found himself promising several times that Laura would come back in the morning after the kids were off to school. But then he had to break the news about the afternoon.

"Daniel, I have to work, so I can't be here in the afternoon, and Laura has an appointment. Hopefully, Mrs. Underwood will be able to come stay with you so that you're not alone."

"It's okay. It doesn't matter if I'm alone."

"Well, it matters to us. It's just that you may have to be tomorrow afternoon if your foster mother can't be here."

"It's really okay if I'm by myself," Daniel insisted. "I've got my books to read, and the nurses come say hi sometimes."

Jacob studied the boy's expression and realized what had been bothering him earlier. It was as if Daniel was trying to distance himself, to not rely upon anyone for comfort or company, and that was definitely not good, especially for a child. A certain amount of independence was fine and so was enjoying one's own company, but shutting yourself off from other people and not letting yourself get close to anyone could only lead to loneliness and a life spent without the joy of close relationships. No matter what, they couldn't let Daniel go down that path.

"Well, I'm sure that you'll have some time to read your books tomorrow, but I intend to come and say hi after I get off duty, so don't count on the whole afternoon and evening for reading," he said firmly. "You got it?"

Daniel nodded, not looking like he was unhappy about it.

Upon arriving home, Jacob called Lucy Merrick.

"Captain Carter. How is Daniel?" she asked. "I've been calling the hospital for updates every day."

"Health-wise, he's doing better, but. . . . Mrs. Merrick, do you know about what happened between Daniel and my daughter?"

"No. What happened?"

Jacob explained the whole thing to her and how Daniel was now reacting to it.

Lucy sighed. "Oh dear. What a terrible setback. I'm so sorry to hear about this."

"My wife and I have been keeping Daniel company, making sure he was alone as little as possible, but neither of us can be there tomorrow afternoon. Diane Underwood hasn't been able to be at the hospital because of the other kids. She's hoping to be able to spend time with Daniel tomorrow, but I don't know how long she'll be able to stay."

"I'm sure I could rearrange my schedule to stay with Daniel for a while," Lucy said. "I'll call Diane tomorrow and see when she'll be with him, then arrange things so that I can be there during a time when she can't be."

Jacob smiled in relief. "Thank you. I was hoping you'd say that."

"Considering this newest development, I think it's even more vital that we have a psychologist speak with Daniel. Not until after he's fully recovered physically, of course."

"I agree. This could so easily drive Daniel into withdrawing from everyone, and I don't want to see that happen."

"Neither do I. Children are supposed to need people, to need love and companionship. I have seen far too many abused or neglected kids who have isolated themselves from human comfort and companionship, and it seldom turns out all right in the end. We have to prevent Daniel from becoming one of them." 


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

It hadn't been easy, but they managed to get Sam off to school. The chance that she'd be able to see Daniel tomorrow had brightened her mood somewhat. Laura just hoped that Daniel's doctor didn't change his mind.

"Good morning," Laura greeted the boy as she came into his room. She pulled out an envelope from her purse. "I have something for you here. It's a get-well card from all of us, including Sam and Mark." She didn't fail to notice how Daniel reacted to the mention of Sam's name. He took the card and read the message, staring at the names signed below.

"Thank you, Mrs. Carter," he said softly.

"You're welcome."

Laura sat down, watching as Daniel laid the card on the table. His reaction did not bode well for his reconciliation with Sam.

Because they couldn't get their daughter in to see Daniel, Laura and Jacob had considered having Sam write a letter to him, but they both decided that what she had to say needed to be spoken in person. Regardless of how heartfelt, a letter would not really show Daniel the sincerity of Sam's words. He would not be able to see the emotions on her face nor hear them in her voice. A call really wouldn't be enough either, even if there was a phone in the room. No, Sam had to do this face to face. It was the only way.

Physically, Daniel was doing a lot better today, the antibiotics doing what they were supposed to and ridding his body of the bacteria that had made him so ill. Emotionally, however, he was pretty much the same. Throughout the morning, he never smiled, and Laura was concerned that her husband was right about him seeking to distance himself from everyone.

The morning was spent mostly with Laura reading her book to Daniel. They were getting close to the end when it was time for her to leave for her appointment.

"Your foster mother is going to be here in a little while," she told Daniel. "Mrs. Merrick will be coming at around four, and Jacob will come over later after he gets off duty."

"It's okay for me to be by myself, Mrs. Carter. I already told Captain Carter that."

"I know you did, Daniel, but we don't want you to be by yourself here in the hospital. You will have to be for a while today, but, hopefully, not long, and we're all hoping that you can go home tomorrow."

After Laura left, Daniel resumed reading The Jungle Book sequel. He hadn't been at it for long when his favorite nurse came in.

"And how are you doing today?" asked Nurse Branam with a bright smile.

"Okay."

The woman frowned. "Just okay? Well, that's simply not good enough, not good enough at all." She reached into her pocket. "You know, I might just have something here that will improve the situation." She pulled out a little package of chocolate chip cookies and handed them to Daniel.

"Thank you, Nurse Branam."

"You're very welcome. Now, mum's the word on those cookies, Daniel. I wouldn't want to get a scolding."

"I'll be really careful and won't tell anybody," Daniel promised, hiding the cookies under his covers.

The nurse checked Daniel's vitals and asked him how he was feeling, if he was breathing okay, if his chest still hurt. She was pleased with the answers.

"Well, it certainly looks like we'll be sending you home tomorrow," she said. "Of course Doctor Probst will have to decide on that. I bet you're eager to get out of here."

Daniel gave her a nod.

The nurse looked at him more closely. "I heard from the night nurses that you had a nightmare last night."

Daniel's gaze dropped to his lap. Last night's nightmare had been different. In it, Sam had been there in the museum with Daniel. After the coverstone fell, she suddenly disappeared, and Daniel had found himself crying out not only for his parents, but for her as well. One of the nurses had awakened him and gently soothed him until he'd calmed down.

"I'm kind of getting used to having them," he said.

"Oh, Daniel," Nurse Branam sighed. "You should never get used to having nightmares. That's just not right." She brushed the hair from his brow. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Daniel immediately shook his head. He didn't like talking about his nightmares.

"Well, if you change your mind, just push your call button."

"Okay."

Daniel's foster mother arrived around half an hour later. She gave him a hug and apologized for not being able to visit him sooner. Daniel told her it was okay.

"How's Susy?" he asked, knowing that the little girl had been sick.

"Oh, much better, and, so far, it looks like none of the kids have caught your flu. I certainly do miss having you there, Daniel. You were such a good helper."

The comment made Daniel feel good. He was happy that he'd been of some help to her.

"When they let me go home I can start helping again," he said.

"Oh, I'd love that, but you're still going to be too sick, honey. You'll have to stay in bed a lot of the time."

"Oh. How long before I won't be sick anymore?"

"I don't know. I'll have to ask the doctor."

Diane had brought her knitting, which she worked on as Daniel read. She was only able to stay a couple of hours, explaining that it's all the time the babysitter could remain.

"Mrs. Merrick will be here in around an hour," she said. "I think she'll be able to keep you company for a while."

Daniel, who was feeling tired, nodded. Diane told him that he should get some sleep and lowered the bed, tucking him in. She gave him a light kiss on the forehead and said that she'd see him tomorrow.

Saying goodbye, Daniel closed his eyes. Moments later, sleep took him.

* * *

Lucy headed down the hospital corridor. It was not the first time that she'd come to a hospital because one of "her kids" was there, and she knew that it wouldn't be the last. Thankfully, this time, she wasn't there because a child had deliberately harmed themselves or been hurt by someone else. Even so, the situation with Daniel was serious. Intellectually, the child had so much potential, but, emotionally, he was a disaster waiting to happen. Not that he'd ever become self-destructive. He didn't strike Lucy as the type to go down that road. But he could develop antisocial tendencies, become reclusive. Now was the time to do all they could to prevent that from happening.

As Lucy came to the door of Daniel's room, she stopped dead in surprise. Sitting beside the sleeping child was a man she didn't recognize. It was tough to tell for sure in the seated position, but he looked to be at least six-foot-five, weighing in at around two hundred fifty pounds, and virtually none of it was fat. With his huge shoulders, big chest, and rugged features, he looked like the kind of man you really wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley, yet there was a look of such tenderness on his face that it had the social worker staring in amazement. One of his hands was stroking Daniel's hair, the other covering the boy's lax hand.

At that moment, he became aware of Lucy's presence. He got to his feet, and she saw that she was right about his height.

She stepped forward. "Hello. I'm Lucy Merrick, Daniel's caseworker."

The man smiled and came around the bed to shake her hand. "I'm Quentin Greer, Daniel's teacher."

That surprised Lucy. She'd never known of a teacher coming to visit one of their students in the hospital, although it probably wasn't unheard-of.

"It's nice to meet you, Mister Greer. Daniel has told me that he likes your class."

"Well, I'm happy that he does." Quentin looked over at the child. "I've been worried about him. The poor kid's been through so much."

"Yes, he has, and we're all worried about him."

Quentin turned back to her. "How much do you know about this latest incident?"

"You mean about the Carters' daughter? Pretty much everything."

The teacher sighed. "He was doing so well, answering questions in class, really coming out of his shell. I was so happy to see it. I can't stand the thought of all that being undone."

"Neither can I, Mister Greer. We're just going to have to do all we can to see that it doesn't happen."

They both sat down, Quentin moving the other chair around to the same side of the bed. As they waited for Daniel to awaken, Lucy learned a bit about the teacher. He'd been teaching for nine years now, most of that time with second-graders. He had a pretty impressive academic background, and Lucy was not surprised to learn that he'd played college football.

"My original plan was to be a college professor," he said, "but I decided that I'd prefer teaching younger children, young minds that were still open enough to be taught how to love learning. I've never regretted the decision. I love my kids, and I love seeing the excitement in their eyes when they learn something new and realize that learning can actually be fun. This year's class has a few more stubborn ones than usual," he smiled, "but I'm working on them."

Lucy also smiled, recognizing in this man a truly dedicated teacher, one who would go the extra mile for his students.

A movement from the bed alerted the adults to the fact that Daniel was awakening. He blinked his eyes open, surprised to see his teacher there.

"Mister Greer?"

"Yep. Hey, I said that I'd stop by after school, didn't I?"

The blue eyes went to the other person in the room. "Hi, Mrs. Merrick."

"Hello, Daniel. How are you feeling?"

"A lot better than I was when I first got put in the hospital."

"Well, that's good to hear."

Quentin picked up one of the books on the table. "I couldn't help but notice the bookmark. I guess I was right that you'd pick this one first."

Daniel nodded. "I like it, especially the stories with Mowgli."

"Me too. Which is your favorite so far?"

"'Letting In the Jungle', I think."

Lucy saw something flicker across the teacher's face, then he smiled.

"Yes, that's a good one," he said.

"So, what is this book?" she asked. "Is it The Jungle Book?"

"The _Second_ Jungle Book," Daniel corrected with something that was quite close to being a smile.

"I didn't know there was a second Jungle Book."

"I didn't either until Mister Greer brought me his copy."

"May I see it?"

Quentin handed her the book. She glanced through it until she came to a typewritten page. "What's this?"

"Oh, those are the first five hundred words of one of the stories in the book," Quentin explained. "The first edition was accidentally printed with the first five hundred words of 'The King's Ankus' missing. They fixed the error in later printings, although the mistake was repeated in some later editions."

Lucy went to the front of the book and saw that not only was the book a first edition, it was also a first printing. And it was in excellent condition, almost like new. She had to wonder what it was worth.

Lucy wasn't surprised that the teacher would have this book, especially since one of his master's was in English Literature. What _did_ surprise her was that he'd entrust such a valuable book to the hands of an eight-year-old.

She handed the book back to the teacher, who returned it to the pile.

Quentin stayed for the next half-hour, talking with both Daniel and Lucy. The social worker was happy to see the rapport that existed between the boy and his teacher. Such relationships were good for Daniel. On the other hand, it was going to make it very difficult for him when he was removed from that class. She wondered if Quentin knew yet that, come January, he was going to lose a student for whom he clearly had fond feelings. She was certain that Daniel didn't know.

"Well, I'd better get on home," Quentin finally said. "You know, Daniel. One of these days, you'll have to come to my house to see my library."

The boy's face lit up. "Really?"

"Sure. I've got some pretty interesting old books there, and some interesting newer books, too."

"I'd like that, Mister Greer. Thank you."

Quentin smiled at him. "You're welcome. Once you're all better, that's what we'll have to do."

Lucy accompanied the teacher out of the room.

"Thank you for spending some time with him," she said.

"It was my pleasure."

"I was curious about something. When Daniel mentioned which of the stories in that book was his favorite, you got an odd look on your face for a moment."

"Oh. In that story, Mowgli saves his adoptive parents from being killed. Considering Daniel's history. . . ."

Lucy sighed. "I see what you mean."

"It makes me wonder if Daniel believes that there might have been something he could have done to save _his_ parents."

"Of course there wasn't."

"No, but that wouldn't stop him from thinking it."

"You're right. That may be one of the questions the psychologist needs to ask."

* * *

Lucy was still with Daniel when Jacob arrived.

"Hello there," he said. "So, how is everyone today?"

"The doctor said I could go home tomorrow," Daniel replied.

"Well, that's great news. I bet you're happy about that."

The boy nodded.

Jacob could only stay for a little over half an hour. Lucy had to leave as well, so both adults bid the boy goodbye. They left the hospital and walked to the parking lot together.

"If he is discharged, are you going to bring your daughter to see Daniel tomorrow?" Lucy asked.

"That's going to depend on him, I guess. I've arranged to get off duty early tomorrow, and Laura and I will take Sam over there, but if Daniel refuses to talk to her, we're not going to push it. Sam is eager to take the first step, but Daniel is the one who has to let the reconciliation happen."

"And do you think he will?"

"I honestly don't know. He was pretty deeply wounded by Sam's actions. He needs to be convinced that she is still his friend and that he can trust her. If this was an ordinary situation with ordinary kids, it would be a different story, and I wouldn't worry so much, but, in the case of Daniel, with his history and emotional state. . . ." Jacob shook his head. "All we can do is hope and pray that it all turns out well."

* * *

Daniel was released late the next morning. By eleven, he was settled in his room with a glass of orange juice and plenty of books, paper and pencils. Diane offered to bring the little black and white TV from the master bedroom in there, but the boy was happy with his books and writing things.

Except when he stopped for lunch, Daniel spent the afternoon reading and writing. He'd decided to write a book report for Mister Greer about the Second Jungle Book. He was hoping that the teacher would bring the history book soon.

It was not quite four o'clock when the doorbell rang. A couple of minutes later, there was a knock on Daniel's door. Jacob stuck his head in.

"Hey there, Daniel. It's great to see you back home. I bet you're happy to be out of that hospital."

"Yeah."

The man came in, shutting the door behind him. He walked up to the bed and sat on the edge.

"Daniel, Sam is here."

With a leaden heart, Jacob watched the boy's entire demeanor change. He appeared to draw in upon himself, his eyes now cast downward.

"Daniel, she wants to apologize to you. Will you let her do that?"

It took several seconds, but the boy's head finally nodded. Grateful at least for that, Jacob went to get his daughter. He knelt before her.

"Okay, Sam, he's going to let you say you're sorry, but you need to understand that he's still hurting over what you did. He still thinks that you're no longer his friend. So, you have to go easy. Don't run over and try to hug him or anything like that. All right?"

"Okay," Sam responded in a little voice, so afraid that she couldn't fix this, and she'd lost Daniel's friendship forever.

Jacob and Laura accompanied their daughter to the room. When they opened the door, they saw that the boy was in his self-hug position, head dipped low.

The moment Sam saw her friend and the way he was acting, she started crying.

"I'm sorry I was mean to you and didn't talk to you," she sobbed, "and I'm sorry I was jealous, and I was a horrible friend, and a terrible, mean person. Please don't not be my friend anymore. You're my best friend in the whole world, and I'll never want any more friends if you don't want to be my friend again."

Sam turned away and buried her face in her father's shirt.

Daniel lifted his head slightly and looked at Sam as she cried so sadly. Could he believe her? Could he believe that she really was still his friend? He wanted to so much, but he didn't know if he could. He was so afraid that, if he let her be his friend again, something else would happen. She'd get mad and stop talking to him again or, worse, she'd go away and never come back, like in that dream he had. And it hurt so much when people he loved went away. He didn't want to hurt anymore. If he didn't care about anybody, then it wouldn't hurt if they went away or stopped liking him.

But it had felt so good being Sam's friend. It had felt good to talk with her and play with her and know that she really liked him. But if she really did like him, would she have done what she did? Captain Carter had said that, when people got jealous, they sometimes did stupid things and hurt people.

Daniel remembered one time when he was a lot littler and his parents were working on a dig. He wasn't allowed to go on this dig because the man in charge wouldn't let children be there. He was left with a woman for hours and hours, and, even after they got home, his parents were still talking all about the dig with each other and hardly spent any time with him. One day, he got really mad at them and ran away, intending to go back to their previous dig, where he'd been allowed to be. By the time his parents found him hours later, it was night, and he was scared. They'd been angry at him and scolded him a lot. But then they'd just held him for a very long time, and his mom had cried. When they found out why he ran away, they started spending more time with him.

Was that the way Sam had felt? Captain Carter said she was jealous because Daniel made new friends, so maybe she was jealous because he was talking with them sometimes and not just doing things with her, like he was jealous because his mom and dad were spending so much time working.

Jacob held his daughter as she cried, his eyes on Daniel. The boy was looking at Sam furtively, but the U.S.A.F. officer couldn't read his expression. Jacob was tense, waiting for the verdict to be handed down. He wasn't quite sure what he'd do if Daniel rejected Sam's apology.

"Why were you jealous?" Daniel suddenly asked in a voice that was barely more than a whisper. Even so, Sam heard. She turned her face to him.

"B-because you had new friends, and you were talking to them, and you weren't just my friend anymore. But it was wrong that I wanted you to be only my friend, and it was mean, and I'm sorry, and you can have as many friends as you want to, and I promise that I'll never, ever get jealous again."

Daniel's gaze returned to his lap, and he hugged himself even more tightly.

Laura decided it was time to step in. She sat on the edge of the bed. She knew fear in a child when she saw it, and that's what was on Daniel's face, not fear of physical harm, but a different kind of fear.

"Daniel, honey, what's wrong? Why are you afraid?"

Daniel's chin dipped all the way to his chest, his knees coming up to partly hide his face.

"I'm afraid to be her friend again," he admitted in a tiny voice.

"Why?"

"Because it hurts."

"What hurts?"

"It hurts when I love people, and they go away. If I don't love anybody, then it won't hurt."

Laura felt pain tear through her heart. She changed her position so that she was seated next to Daniel instead of facing him. She pulled the boy into her embrace.

"Oh, sweetheart. I know it hurts when we lose people we love. I've lost family and friends, too. But if we don't let ourselves love anyone, we just end up being sad and lonely. You can't be afraid of love, Daniel. You have to let it in."

Daniel said nothing for quite a while, then, "I want to be by myself."

"Okay, Daniel, we'll give you some time alone," Jacob responded. He, Laura and Sam left the room. Sam broke away from Jacob and ran out the front door, leaving it wide open. He saw her run to the car and throw herself onto the back seat. With a sigh, he turned to Diane.

"It didn't go well?" she asked.

"The jury is still out. Call us anytime if Daniel decides that he wants to speak to us or Sam. And I mean anytime at all."

"I will."

When her parents got to the car, Sam was crying wretchedly, lying across the back seat, face buried in her crossed arms.

"Sam?" Laura inquired.

"He's never going to be my friend again," she wailed. "He doesn't want to be friends with me."

"He just needs time to think, Sammie," Jacob said. "Daniel is afraid to love people because it hurts to lose them."

Sam's head lifted. "He's afraid to love me?"

"Yes."

"Will he ever not be afraid?"

Jacob sighed. "That's the big question, Sammie. We all hope the answer is yes."

* * *

Sam was miserable and inconsolable throughout the rest of the day, and her parents weren't feeling much better. The two adults knew how much was riding on what Daniel decided, how critical it was to his future. If he chose to reject love, to try living his life without it, it would be a terrible tragedy. Daniel had so much love in him. To cut off that part of himself was something neither Jacob nor Laura could even bear thinking about.

And then there was what it would do to Sam if Daniel refused to renew their friendship. She might never get past the guilt and grief over losing her best friend because of her own actions.

It was nearly Sam's bedtime when the phone rang. Jacob went to it, feeling tense. _'Please let it be Diane.'_ He was still tense even when he found out that it was.

"Captain Carter, Daniel says that he wants to talk to Sam. Because of the hour, I suggested that he wait till tomorrow, but the look on his face convinced me that it couldn't wait. Can you bring your daughter over?"

"Yes, we'll bring her right away. Thank you."

Jacob hurried to Sam's room. "Sam, Daniel wants to talk to you."

Sam was out of her room so fast that she was almost a blur. By the time Jacob reached the living room, she was already getting her coat on.

"Daddy, come on!" she urged.

Jacob turned to his wife, and their eyes met.

"I'll be praying," she said.

The captain was virtually towed all the way to his car by Sam, who was yanking on his hand impatiently and telling him to hurry. He wondered if she was afraid that Daniel would change his mind if they didn't get there right away.

Jacob kept to the speed limit despite his daughter's pleas to go faster. They'd barely pulled up out front Daniel's house when Sam was unbuckling her seatbelt and climbing out, just about trying to do both at the same time.

"Sam, wait for me," Jacob called as she ran across the grass to the door. He trotted after her.

Diane answered the door. They could hear the TV on in the living room.

"Thank you for coming," she said.

Jacob and Sam went to Daniel's room, and the captain knocked, really hoping that the boy hadn't fallen asleep. If he had, Mark was probably the only person in the Carter household who would be getting much sleep tonight.

Upon opening the door, father and daughter saw that Daniel was lying down but that he was awake.

Sam tentatively approached the bed as the boy sat up.

"Are you really still my friend?" he asked, glancing at her.

Sam nodded. "I didn't really want to hurt you. I swear I didn't." Yet again, tears came. "Please be my friend again. Please."

Daniel said nothing for several very long, tense seconds, throughout which Jacob didn't breathe. And then the words came.

"I want to be your friend again."

A second after that, Sam was on the bed, hugging the stuffing out of Daniel. He hugged her back, hiding his face against her shoulder.

An almost overwhelming wave of relief washed through Jacob. He felt like both laughing and crying. Instead, he smiled so hard his face hurt.

Daniel didn't say anything more, and Jacob could tell that he was very tired. When Sam finally let the boy go, the captain said that they needed to go home and let Daniel get some sleep.

"But I don't want to go!" Sam cried. "Why can't I stay with Daniel? I can sleep here."

"Sam, Daniel's still sick, and he needs lots of rest. You can see him tomorrow after school, that is if Daniel says that's okay. Is that all right, Danny?"

The boy nodded. He really did look exhausted, most likely due to both his illness and his emotional turmoil.

Sam complained all the way to the car, insisting that she'd have been nice and quiet and let Daniel sleep.

"Patience, Sam," Jacob told her. "Daniel isn't going anywhere."

When they got home, Jacob looked into the back seat and saw that Sam was fast asleep, her tumultuous emotions finally having taken their toll. With a smile, he lifted her up and carried her to the house rather than waking her.

"What happened?" Laura whispered.

"Hold on." Jacob took Sam to her bedroom and lay her on the bed. He then turned to his wife with a smile. "Daniel forgave her. He said he wants to be her friend again."

Laura smiled joyfully and threw her arms around her husband. "Oh, this is wonderful. I was so worried."

"Yeah, me too."

They got Sam dressed for bed and tucked in, then went to the living room.

"It's going to be all right now," Laura said.

"I sure hope so." 


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Laura picked Sam up from school the next afternoon and took her over to Daniel's. The girl understood that playing with her friend would have to be limited to quiet activities that he could do in bed.

When Sam and Laura entered Daniel's room, the woman was happy to see a little smile touch his face. It wasn't even close to the brightness of the smiles they'd seen before, but it was definitely a start.

"Hello, Daniel," she greeted. "How are you feeling today?"

"Okay. I feel better every day."

"Well, that's great. I'm sure you'll be back to normal in no time."

"Mom said I could stay for three hours," Sam told the boy. She set a bag on the bed. "I got lots of things for us to do." She began pulling out coloring books, games, puzzles and other things. "Mom brought a card table that we can put right by your bed so that you can stay there and be comfortable."

Laura got the table and set it up. She helped Daniel prop up several pillows so that he could rest against them while facing the table. Then she left the kids to their play.

"Thank you for letting Sam stay for a while," she said to Diane. "They need this time together to mend fences."

"I'm happy to have her. It'll be good for Daniel to have some company. I feel bad about him having to spend all day in his room, but he keeps telling me that he's fine. I guess I should be grateful. Most other children would be getting moody and restless by now, but Daniel is happy with his books and writing things."

"Did his doctor give you some idea on how long his recovery will take?"

"He'll be taking the antibiotics for another week or so. After that, he can go back to school, though he might still have a cough. Fortunately, children tend to recover faster from bacterial pneumonia than adults do."

Not long after Laura left, Daniel suffered a short bout of coughing.

"Are you still really sick?" Sam asked after it was over.

"Not really. I don't feel that bad, except I still cough, and I get tired more."

"When Daddy told me that you were really sick and being taken to the hospital, I was afraid that you were going to die. Were you afraid that you were going to die?"

"I kind of wondered if I was, but I wasn't scared about it."

"You weren't?"

Daniel shook his head.

"How come?"

The boy shrugged. "I just wasn't. Being in the emergency room was kind of scary, though. I didn't know what the doctors were going to do to me. I don't like being in the hospital."

"I don't think I'd like it either."

Sam was halfway through her time with Daniel when the boy got another visitor. Quentin was delighted when he saw the two children together, relieved that they had apparently reconciled.

"Hello, you two," he said with a smile. He laid a book down on the night stand. "There's the history book I promised, Daniel."

"Thanks, Mister Greer," the boy responded.

"I talked with your foster mother, and she said that, starting next week, you'll be well enough to do some homework. I'll drop off some assignments for you on Monday, which should keep you busy for the week. How does that sound?"

The average child wouldn't be the least bit happy about such a thing, but Daniel was far from being an average child and was pleased by the news.

Quentin looked over at the books he'd loaned to his pupil. "So, how's it coming with the reading?"

"I'm all done with The Second Jungle Book, and now I'm reading White Fang. Now that I'm home, I've been reading a lot more."

"That's great. I wouldn't be surprised if you have them all read by the time you return to school." Quentin looked at his watch. "I wish I could stay longer, but I need to get home." He ruffled Daniel's hair. "I sure do miss you in class, Daniel. It's just not the same without my star pupil there."

The statement made Daniel smile brightly. "I really miss your class, Mister Greer. I wish I could start school this Monday."

"Well, the important thing right now is for you to get all better. So, you need to get plenty of rest and eat properly to get all your strength back."

"I will. I promise."

Quentin said goodbye to the kids, then headed on home.

"I miss you at school, too," Sam said. "I miss having lunch with you."

Daniel's gaze dropped to the bed covers. "Are you having lunch with those girls?" he asked very quietly.

"What girls?"

"The girls you ate with instead of me that day."

Sam could tell that Daniel was upset but trying to hide it. She really wished that she could go back in time and undo that day. Then everything would be okay, and Daniel wouldn't be unhappy.

"No, I haven't eaten with them," she told him. "They aren't really my friends. I was just with them because I was jealous."

"Because I was making friends with Kenny and Nathan."

Sam nodded.

Daniel toyed with a ball of fuzz on the blanket. "I won't have any other friends if you don't want me to."

Sam stared at him. She could be Daniel's only friend and have him all to herself. But that would be mean and selfish. She really understood that now.

"No, I want you to have other friends," she said. "When you're all better and come back to school, we can have lunch with Kenny and Nathan and play with them at recess."

Daniel looked up at her, surprised. "We can? You won't be jealous?"

"I won't be jealous. I promise."

Daniel kept staring at her for several seconds, trying to decide if she really meant it. "Okay," he finally said. "Will you tell me if you're jealous?"

"I won't get jealous," Sam insisted.

"But will you tell me if you do?"

Sam nodded, which satisfied Daniel.

The afternoon with Daniel hadn't been what you'd call exciting, and he hadn't really talked very much, but Sam was still unhappy when her visit came to an end.

"Can I come back tomorrow?" she asked her mother.

"No, that wouldn't work out, honey, but maybe you can come over for a while on Friday. Now, say goodbye to Daniel. We need to get home."

Sam gave the boy a hug. "I'll leave all the stuff here so you can play with it."

"Okay. Thanks."

Daniel watched Sam and her mother leave. Diane came in a moment later.

"Can I get you anything, Daniel?"

"No, I'm okay."

"Well, let me know if you need anything."

Alone once again, Daniel picked up the history book his teacher had left and let himself get immersed in that time of long ago.

* * *

Daniel spent most of Thursday reading the history book. On Friday, he kept looking at the clock, waiting for the time that school would be out and Sam could come over. Nobody had said that she wasn't coming, so he figured that she was.

Daniel was trying not to look forward to it too much. Deep down inside, he was still afraid that something would happen, and he'd lose Sam as a friend again.

It was close to 3:30 when he heard the doorbell ring. His eyes went to the open doorway, ears straining to hear. Then he heard Mrs. Carter's voice. A moment later, Sam was there.

"Hi!" she said with a big smile, hurrying up to the bed.

"Hi," Daniel responded with more restraint.

Sam looked at the book on his lap. "Have you been studying?"

"Uh huh. I'm going to write a book report. I've already got some of it written. I wrote one for The Second Jungle Book, too."

"Cool. I bet it's really interesting. You're good with writing and stuff. And with history, too." Sam frowned. "We had a history test today. I don't think I did very well."

"It's too bad I couldn't have helped you with it."

"Yeah, that would have been great."

Laura came in. "Hello, Daniel. And how are you today?"

"Okay. I've been getting up more, and I don't get tired as fast, and I don't cough as much."

"That's great to hear. We're looking forward to when you're all well and can come visit us again."

"That'll be nice, Mrs. Carter."

"Well, I'll leave you two to play. Sam, remember what I said. You can only be here for a couple of hours this time."

Sam sighed. "Yeah, I know."

Sam was in a talkative mood that day and ended up doing more talking than playing. Daniel mostly just listened, not talking nearly as much as he was before all this stuff happened. He also didn't smile very much. He hadn't smiled very much day before yesterday either. Sam wondered if it was because he was sick or if he just wasn't all that happy. _She_ sure wouldn't be happy if she had to spend so much time in bed.

"How much longer will you be sick and have to stay in bed most of the time?" she asked.

"I'm not staying in the bed all the time anymore. I ate in the dining room last night and watched TV with the other kids this morning. I'm allowed to sit at my desk now when I want to. Mrs. Underwood told me that I could probably go back to school after next weekend."

That last sentence didn't make Sam happy. "That's more than a week."

"Yeah. I wish it could be sooner, too."

"I bet you hate being stuck inside."

"No, it's okay. I don't mind so much."

"Well, I'd just go crazy if I had to stay stuck in the house all the time."

Sam's visit ended way too soon, as far as she was concerned. She cheered up, however, when she was told that she could come back on Saturday and spend much longer.

And so the days passed, Daniel's health improving until he got to the point where the only outward sign that he was sick was an occasional cough. Though he still was not allowed to go outside, he had the run of the house and no longer had to spend any time in bed during the day.

Sam came to visit as often as she was allowed. As Daniel's health improved, Sam had expected him to return to the way he was before their falling out, but such was not the case. The smiles did come a bit more often, and he did talk a little more, but there was something wrong with the way he acted, and she couldn't figure out what it was.

"I think there's something wrong with Daniel," she said to her parents one evening.

"Why do you say that?" Jacob asked.

"Because he's not like he was before. He's hardly sick at all now, but he doesn't smile very much, and he doesn't talk a whole lot either. Sometimes he looks at me kind of weird."

"Weird?"

"Yeah, a little like the way people look at a dog if they're not sure if it's safe to pet it."

"Cautious?" Laura questioned.

Sam nodded. "Why is he cautious?"

Sam's parents exchanged a glance. They both had a feeling that they knew the answer to that question.

"I'm sure it will pass, Sam," Laura said, not wanting to upset her daughter by sharing her thoughts.

After Sam had gone to bed, Laura joined her husband in the kitchen, where he was making a cup of decaf.

"He's still afraid," she said.

"Yeah, that's what it sounds like. He's worried about giving his friendship to Sam unreservedly in case something else happens."

Laura sighed. "He's trying to protect himself from more heartache."

"Is it any wonder considering all that's happened to the poor kid?"

"I really do hope that it gets better in time. He'll be returning to school on Monday. I'm sure that will brighten his mood."

Jacob nodded. "I've been thinking about Halloween. It's coming up fast. Sam told me that Daniel wanted to go as a pharaoh, but you can bet that's not the kind of costume you'd find in any stores around here. Actually, I'm not even certain if it's a good idea for him to go out trick-or-treating, what with this cold, wet weather and all. I know he's going back to school on Monday, but. . . ."

"I know what you mean. Oh, but I hate to see him disappointed again, Jacob. He's never been trick-or-treating before, and Sam said he was looking forward to going with her."

"Well, maybe we could think of something else for him and Sam to do. Some towns have some kind of haunted house or indoor Halloween party for kids. It's not the same as going trick-or-treating, but it would still be an experience that Daniel's never had." Jacob smiled. "I recall a year that Mom and Dad decided to do the place up like a haunted house for Halloween. That was a hoot. We had every kid in the neighborhood coming to see, and Dad did his level best to scare the pants off each and every one of them. I had a great time helping with the set-up, and I got to play one of the ghosts. If we didn't live on base, I'd be tempted to do something like that this year. The kids could help and be part of the entertainment. Then Daniel would stay nice and warm and dry."

"That would be perfect. But, like you said, we couldn't do it here."

"I suppose it's too much to hope that the Underwoods would consider doing something like that."

"I doubt it, what with the three younger children in the house."

"Yes, and you can bet that Paul Underwood would be completely against it. I suppose there's always the chance that one of Daniel's classmates is doing something like that or knows someone who is. Perhaps we could do some asking around."

"We should ask Daniel's teacher. He might know."

"Good idea. If the answer is yes, we'll have to see if we can get Daniel and Sam involved."

* * *

The next morning, Laura called Diane and asked about what was planned for Halloween in regards to Daniel.

"To be honest, I don't think it would be a good idea for him to go," the woman said. "The weather's been so wet and chilly. I haven't asked his doctor about it, but I would be terribly nervous about letting Daniel walk around for hours in that kind of weather so soon after recovering from pneumonia. But I so hate to disappoint him."

Laura shared the haunted house idea with Diane, who thought it was a marvelous idea.

"I'd do it here, but it simply wouldn't work out, not with the little ones," she said. "I hope you find someone else who's doing it and is willing to let Daniel be a part of it."

Laura went to the school shortly after class got out, having arranged for a neighbor to be at the house when the kids got home. Wading through the sea of children, she made her way to Daniel's classroom.

"Mrs. Carter. How nice to see you," Quentin said. "To what do I owe the pleasure." His expression turned concerned. "Everything's all right with Daniel, isn't it?"

"Yes, as far as I know. This is actually about Halloween."

Quentin's eyebrows rose slightly. "Oh?" He gestured about the room. "As you can see, we're already getting the decorations up."

Laura glanced about at the handmade ghosts, witches and other Halloween decorations, most of them likely made by the kids in the class.

"I was wondering if you knew if any of Daniel's classmates are doing something like setting up a haunted house in their home, you know, like you see some people do sometimes."

"Um, no, not that I've heard, and, if something like that was going on, I'd probably have heard about it. It would be a pretty exciting event. Why do you ask?"

Laura explained the situation.

"I see," Quentin said. "Yes, you're right. It would be an ideal solution. They do usually have some kind of fright night shindig in town, and it's indoors. Obviously, Daniel wouldn't actually be able to help with the set-up, but he could be taken to it."

"Yes, I suppose that's the most we could do."

Quentin frowned in thought. "Maybe not."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, my wife and I usually decorate the outside of the house quite a bit for Halloween. We even put on scary music and light the inside with only candles and jack-o'-lanterns. The neighborhood kids love it." Quentin grinned. "Kathleen and I always wear costumes. Last year, I was Frankenstein's monster, and she was my bride. Scared the bejesus out of a few kids. I was thinking that perhaps we could do a bit more this year."

"You mean do the haunted house at your place?" Laura asked in surprise.

"Well, I don't know how elaborate we could get, but we might be able to whip something up. I think it would be fun. I need to talk to my wife about this first, though. I don't want to get into trouble and agree to do something without her okay."

Laura smiled. "All right. It would be great if you could do it."

* * *

As Quentin entered the house, he called out to his wife.

"I'm in the kitchen," she said.

He went to the kitchen and found her in the midst of making an apple pie. He came up and hugged her from behind, pushing aside her long, reddish-blond hair to kiss the side of her neck.

"Mmm. Apple pie. My favorite," he said.

"Every kind of pie is your favorite, Quentin," Kathleen Greer responded, turning her head to kiss him.

"Now, that's not true. I don't much care for rhubarb pie nor mincemeat."

"I stand corrected. So, how did school go today?"

"Pretty well, although my second attempt to get Kenny Robinson tested for dyslexia failed. His father keeps refusing to allow it."

Kathleen shook her head. "I just don't understand why."

"I think the guy's in denial. He refuses to accept that his son might have a learning disability. From what I've learned by talking to the man, he has no patience for weakness of any sort. Unfortunately, without his consent, I can't run any formal testing on Kenny. But I have sort of tested him informally, and I'm certain that he does have dyslexia. There's nothing I can do about it, though. It's really frustrating. The boy isn't dumb, but he's struggling in school because of the reading difficulties. I just wish there was more that I could do for him."

Kathleen turned around and put her arms around her husband's neck. "You'll think of something, Quentin. I know you, and you don't give up, not when it comes to things you care about."

They shared another kiss, then Kathleen turned back to the pie.

Quentin picked up a slice of apple and munched on it as he leaned against the kitchen counter. "I have a question for you. You know how we do up the house for Halloween every year?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, how would you like to go a bit further this year?"

Kathleen stared at him narrowly. "What have you got in your head this time?"

He explained the whole thing to her.

"Okay, let me get this straight," she said. "You're proposing that we transform our home into a haunted house and have dozens of kids come traipsing through it just so that Daniel won't miss out on Halloween?"

"Um . . . yes, I guess I am. Putting it that way, it does seem like an awful lot to do for a child who isn't even ours. He's just been through so much, Kat, and I really think it would be a lot of fun for him. I don't want him to be disappointed yet again. I know it'll be a lot of work, but I bet it would be fun for us, too. We could block off the rooms we don't want the kids to go into and lay down carpet runners to protect the carpeting. Hang some sheets, put up some fake cobwebs and a few flashing lights and play spooky haunted house sounds, and we'd be all set."

"Hah! Things are never that easy, and you know it."

Quentin sighed. "That's a no, then?"

Kathleen resumed slicing apples. "We'll have to get started on it pretty soon. There's less than a week to go."

Quentin blinked in surprise. "Are you saying yes?"

She shook the knife at him. "I'm saying that if you think I'm going to do all the clean-up after it's all over, you've got another thing coming, bub."

Quentin grinned and hugged her. "I promise to do my fair share of the clean-up."

"So, we're talking about a traditional haunted house? Ghosts, ghouls and the like?"

"I suppose so. I should talk to Daniel about it. He might have some suggestions."

"Well, there is one plus about this."

"What's that?"

"I'm finally going to get to meet The Great Daniel Jackson."

Quentin laughed. "The Great Daniel Jackson?"

"The way you've gone on about him, he's clearly more than a mere mortal."

"Oh, come on. I haven't been _that_ bad . . . have I?"

Kathleen looked at him with a cocked eyebrow. "Shall I quote some of your more glowing words of praise?"

"Okay, so I think he's a great kid. It isn't without good reason."

"I'm sure it isn't. It'll just be nice to finally meet him."

Quentin looked at his watch. "I wonder if I should go over to Daniel's and talk to him about this. None of us thought to ask him if he'd even want to do it."

"Then I'd say that you'd better talk to him."

Quentin called the Underwoods about coming over. Diane was pleased to hear that the Greers were willing to supply the haunted house and told the teacher that he could come over any time before or after dinner. He decided to go on over there.

Daniel was surprised to see his teacher.

"Did you bring me some more homework?" he asked.

"No, this is about something else." Quentin sat on the bed facing Daniel, who was sitting at his little desk. "I'm sure you know that Halloween's coming up."

Daniel nodded. "I don't think I'm going to get to go. I don't have a costume, and when I asked Mrs. Underwood about it, she said we'd talk about it later."

"Well, it is true that you won't be able to go trick-or-treating, but we have something else in mind. How would you like to help create a haunted house?"

Daniel's eyes widened. "A haunted house?"

"Yep. My wife and I are going to turn our house into one, and we thought that you might like to help. Samantha could help, too, if she wanted to. We'd be putting up all kinds of spooky things, then, on Halloween, we'd invite neighborhood kids in and do our best to scare them. You could help with that part as well, dress up in a costume and be part of the show."

A big smile lit Daniel's face. "That would be really neat, Mister Greer. I'd like to help."

"Great! Then it's decided."

"What kinds of stuff are you going to put in your house?"

"Well, I thought that I'd ask you for some ideas on that. You've probably heard some pretty scary folk tales and legends. Can you think of anything interesting that we could do?"

Daniel thought about it for a while. "Maybe you could make it kind of an Egyptian haunted house."

"An Egyptian haunted house?"

"Uh huh. You could have a mummy, and maybe we could make a sarcophagus for it, and we could have Anpu and some of the other Egyptian gods of death and the underworld."

"Anpu? Which one is he?"

"He was called Anubis by the Greeks."

"Ah, I've heard of him. He's the one with a head like a jackal, isn't he?"

Daniel nodded. "Although it might actually be a wild dog. We don't know for sure. In the earliest time of Egyptian religion, Anubis was the lord of the dead. Later on, after Osiris took over as the lord of the dead, Anubis became the guide that held the scales that people's hearts were weighed on after they died to see if they were good or bad. If their heart was as light as a feather, the person's soul would then be taken by Anubis to be presented to Osiris, but, if their heart was heavier than the feather, it would get fed to Ammit, and the soul would be destroyed."

Quentin made a face. "Ugh. That's nasty. I'm not sure how far we could go with the Egyptian theme, but a mummy in a sarcophagus would be great."

"I wanted to dress up as a pharaoh for Halloween."

"Did you? Hmm. I'm not sure where we could find a pharaoh costume."

"It's okay. I don't have to be a pharaoh. It'll be fun helping you make the haunted house. And you said that Sam could help, too?"

"Yes, she's welcome to help. In fact, the more help we have the better."

* * *

Preparations for the haunted house began the next day. That morning, Kathleen called various shops to see what they had in things with an Egyptian theme, but struck out until she contacted a place in Albany. It was a long drive, but Kathleen figured that she could also do some other shopping for things that the small city of Rome simply did not have.

She'd just gotten back home when Quentin arrived.

"Ah, now that's timing," she said. "You can help me bring all this stuff in."

Quentin looked at all the bags in the trunk and on the back seat. "Let me guess. You're anticipating a major natural or manmade disaster and are stocking up on food and other essentials in case our society crumbles into ruins."

"The only disaster I'm anticipating is what our house will look like after Halloween. I went to Albany to get some stuff for the haunted house, and I did some other shopping there while I was at it. Now, come on. Make yourself and those muscles of yours useful and help me with this stuff."

Quentin smiled. "My muscles are all yours, ma'am."

Once all the purchases were in the house and the groceries put away, Kathleen showed her husband what she got for the haunted house. There were some plastic statues of several different Egyptian gods, a few tablecloths with Egyptian figures on them, a set of sheets that matched the tablecloths, and a couple of cheap Egyptian vases.

"I figured that we could cover some of the furniture with the tablecloths and sheets, then decorate with the figurines and vases. We could spray them with fake cobwebs. I picked up a few cans of the stuff while I was at it."

"Wow, that'll be great. Daniel will love it." He took a closer look at one of the figurines. "Hey, that's Anubis!"

"It is?"

"Yes, I got a bit of an education on the chap from Daniel. Interesting fellow." Quentin stared at the figurine. "You know, if this was full-size, it could be pretty scary," he murmured.

"Yes, it would, but I don't think you could find such a thing, and, even if you could, we couldn't afford it."

"You know, that place in town that sells costumes has a magazine that you can order costumes from. I wonder if it's possible that it would have a costume like this, one that would fit me."

"Well, as big as you are, if you were dressed up like that, with that jackal head, you'd definitely be scary."

Quentin grinned evilly. "Yes, I know." The smile faded. "Yeah, but it's probably too late to order anything. Tomorrow's Saturday, and Halloween is on Wednesday. Even if we ordered it to ship overnight, I doubt it would arrive in time. Too bad."

"Well, I suppose that we could always call around tomorrow and see if, by chance, anybody has anything like that."

The next morning, Quentin called the shop there in town and asked if they had any Egyptian costumes, not really expecting them to say they did. When he got the expected answer, he asked the person where something like that might be found and was told that, unless he was willing to drive all the way to New York, the only place that might have what he was looking for was a costume shop in Syracuse. Upon calling that shop, Quentin was pleased to learn that, yes, they did have some Egyptian costumes in both children's and adult sizes. However, they did not have one with an Anubis head. Such a thing wasn't even available in any of their catalogs. Quentin decided that, even if he couldn't dress up as Anubis, he and his wife could at least dress up as Egyptians.

"Do you rent costumes or just sell them?" he asked.

"We do both," the shopkeeper replied. "We rent by the day. If you want a particular costume, you should reserve it now to make sure you get it. They're going fast. We require a deposit to reserve a costume."

"Okay, thanks. What time do you close today?"

"Five o'clock."

Quentin thanked the man again and hung up.

"Well, they've got Egyptian costumes, but no Anubis head. I'm going to go over there anyway. If we're doing an Egyptian haunted house, we should dress the part." He paused a moment. "They've got ones for kids, too."

"And you were thinking of getting one for Daniel," Kathleen guessed.

"He wanted to dress up as a pharaoh. Perhaps he'll get to do that after all."

Kathleen had an idea. "Why don't you find out if Daniel can come with you? Then you'll be sure to get the right size for him. You already know my size."

"Great idea."

Quentin called the Underwoods and asked if it would be all right for Daniel to come to Syracuse with him to go costume-hunting.

"Why, that would be lovely," Diane responded. "He's been cooped up in here for so long that I'm sure he'd love to get out of the house and go somewhere. Shall I ask him?"

"Sure."

"Okay, hold on." She was back on the phone after only a minute. "Well, that put a smile on his face. He's all excited now."

"Great. I'll be over in a few."

Twenty minutes later, Quentin and Daniel were on their way. As they drove, the teacher told his student all about what they'd gotten for the haunted house and what their plans were.

"Wow, that sounds really neat," Daniel responded. "If we had fake stone walls, we could make it look like a tomb or the inside of a temple."

"I'm afraid that's something we wouldn't be able to do. We're going to have it pretty dark in there, though, so the walls will be shadowy."

"What kind of costumes are we going to get?"

"Egyptian ones, of course. I was hoping to find an Anubis costume, but didn't have any luck. So I guess I'll just have to be a pharaoh like you."

Daniel's eyes lit up. "I'm going to get to be a pharaoh?"

"Uh huh."

"Wow. Thank you, Mister Greer."

Quentin smiled at the boy fondly. "You're very welcome, Daniel."

They spent the rest of the trip chatting about other things. Daniel was looking forward to going back to school on Monday. Something in his demeanor made the teacher suspect that the boy was going to have something to show him in class.

"So, did you write that book report on the history book?" he asked.

"Uh huh. And you said you'd give me a test."

"Yes, I did, and I will."

"I got all my other homework done, too."

Quentin smiled. "I never had a doubt that you would."

At last they reached their destination. They were shown the Egyptian costumes by one of the employees. Daniel, the expert, studied them with a critical eye.

"So, do they pass inspection?" Quentin asked in amusement.

"They have mistakes."

The employee frowned. "Mistakes? What mistakes? Are there flaws in the material?"

Daniel went on to point out the inaccuracies of the costumes, finishing with the statement, "And Wadjet should be taller than Nekhbet on the Nemes headdress."

The man gaped at Daniel. "Huh?"

"Wadjet is the snake. Nekhbet is the vulture. The snake should be taller than the vulture."

Quentin was trying very hard not to laugh at the dumbfounded expression on the employee's face.

The man turned to the teacher. "Is he for real?"

"If Daniel says it, then it's true. He knows what he's talking about."

"Uhhhh . . . okay." The guy glanced over at another customer. "I'm going to go see if they need help. Let me know if you need anything or if you want to try something on." He hurried away.

Quentin let out a chuckle, amused by the man's hasty getaway. He looked down at the boy who was responsible for scaring the man off.

"So, they have some mistakes, but will they be good enough?" he asked.

"Yeah, they're okay. Probably a lot of people won't know there are mistakes."

"I suspect that we'll be the only ones who do, that is unless we unexpectedly get a visit from an Egyptologist." He looked through the costumes. "Hey, here's one that's just the skirt and collar, like what Anubis wears. It's a shame they don't have a jackal head."

"Maybe we could make one," Daniel suggested.

"How?"

"Kenny told me about a bird he made with papier mache. Couldn't we make one with that?"

Quentin considered the boy's suggestion. "We'd have to figure out what we could use for the frame, and it would have to be designed to fit completely over my head. It would need holes for me to see and breathe through." He smiled. "But, you know, we just might be able to do it."

Quentin chose an "Anubis" costume that he thought might fit him, and Daniel picked a pharaoh costume for his size. They asked if they could try them on and were taken to the changing room.

Quentin felt a little self-conscious when he came out of his stall a while later. Although the "kilt" covered more than the average pair of swim trunks, he still felt very exposed and kept tugging the hem down.

Just then, Daniel came out if his stall, and the teacher couldn't help but smile. The kid looked like a blond, blue-eyed, fair-skinned King Tut.

"You look great, Daniel," he said.

"So do you, except that Egyptian men shaved all their hair off."

"_All_ their hair?" Quentin looked down at his chest and its light coating of hair. "Um . . . I think we might have to be a bit less than authentic in that regard, Daniel."

The boy noticed his teacher tugging at the skirt of the costume. "Is it uncomfortable?"

"I'm just feeling a little underdressed. I've never worn something like this before. I think I've developed new respect for Scotsmen."

"Are you wearing underwear?"

"Of course."

"Men in Scotland don't wear underwear when they have a kilt on, or at least they're not supposed to."

"Yes, I've heard that. Please don't tell me that the Egyptians didn't wear underwear either."

"They did when they were wearing clothing."

"Thank goodness."

They changed back into their own clothes. Quentin then picked out a lovely Egyptian costume for his wife.

Daniel stared at the dress. "What about Sam?"

"Hmm?"

"If Sam is going to help and be in the haunted house, shouldn't she have an Egyptian costume, too?"

"I didn't think of that. I'd have to ask her parents first, though."

"I know their phone number, if you want to call them."

"Okay."

They went up to the counter with the three costumes.

"We're going to want to rent these for Halloween, but we might also be getting a fourth costume. I need to make a call first, though. We'll be back in a few minutes."

"Okay, just leave them here," the woman at the cash register said.

Quentin and Daniel found a pay phone and called the Carters. Laura answered. The teacher explained to her where they were and what they were doing.

"Daniel was wondering about your daughter, if she'd want an Egyptian costume as well so that she could be part of the show we're going to put on."

"Oh, I'm sure that she would. Her original plan was to dress as an astronaut, but that's when she was going to be going trick-or-treating. Can you hold on? I'll go ask her."

Sam's answer to the question was a resounding yes, the girl getting very excited about the prospect of being part of the "haunting".

"Go ahead and rent the costume for her, and we'll reimburse you the money," Laura told Quentin. "Are you getting them now?"

"No, I don't even want to think about how much it would cost to rent them for an entire week. I'm just reserving them. We'll come back on Tuesday or Wednesday to pick them up."

Laura gave the teacher Sam's size. "It's really wonderful that you're doing this," she said.

"Hey, I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a blast." 


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Daniel and Quentin returned to the shop and got a costume for Sam, then the teacher put down the deposit on it and the other costumes, telling the person who waited on them that they'd pick the costumes up on Tuesday.

After getting some lunch, teacher and student decided to go to one of the music stores in town and see what it had in haunted house sound effects records. They managed to find one record that had various spooky sounds that would work well.

"I can record the sounds we want on tape," Quentin told Daniel. "I've got a reel recorder at home, and I think I've got a blank reel of tape that should be plenty long enough to last the evening. Then we can just turn it on and forget about it." He looked down at his student. "I was thinking that we should get started on making things as soon as possible. Wednesday will be here before we know it. If it's all right with your foster parents, would you mind coming home with me so that we can do some stuff today?"

Daniel smiled again. "That would be great, Mister Greer."

Quentin called Diane, who said that it would be fine for Daniel to go home with him. He told her that he'd have the boy back before bedtime.

On the trip home, the teacher and his student discussed how they might go about making the Anubis head.

"If I was handy with a knife, I'd say that we could get a block of styrofoam and carve the head out of it, then cover it with the papier-mache to make it stronger," Quentin said. "It would be nice and lightweight. But I'd probably end up carving my fingers more than the styrofoam and make a complete mess of everything."

"Maybe someone else could do it," Daniel suggested. "You should ask Captain Carter if he knows anybody."

"You know, that might be a good idea. I should think that someone he knows at the base would be proficient enough with a knife that they could whittle a block of styrofoam. They'd surely be able to do it without chopping off any fingers."

Daniel glanced at his teacher, then away, chewing on his lip. "Mister Greer, can I ask you something?"

Quentin looked over at him. "Of course you can, Daniel."

"Are you doing the haunted house because I can't go trick-or-treating?"

Startled by the question, the teacher did not reply immediately. He didn't think that anyone had intended for Daniel to know the motivations behind the haunted house, so the boy must have found out accidentally.

"Did someone tell you that or did you overhear it?"

"I heard Mrs. Underwood talking to Mister Underwood." Daniel's gaze dropped to his lap. "He thought it was silly that everyone was going to all that trouble just for me. I don't want people to go to a lot of trouble for me."

Quentin glanced at the boy. Upon seeing his expression and posture, the teacher found a place to pull over and stopped the car. He put a finger under Daniel's chin and lifted the boy's head.

"Hey. You listen to me, Daniel. It is not too much trouble. Yes, we did decide to do this because you can't go trick-or-treating, but it's going to be a lot of fun for all of us. I'm looking forward to it." Quentin looked straight into the boy's eyes. "Don't you ever think that you're not worth having people do things for you. This is your first Halloween, and we want you to have a good one, one that you'll always remember."

Daniel met his gaze for a long time, then, much to his surprise, leaned over and hugged him. Quentin returned the embrace, giving the boy a tight squeeze.

"Thank you, Mister Greer. You're the nicest teacher I've ever had . . . except for my mom and dad. I wish you could always be my teacher."

Quentin's throat tightened. He swallowed the lump before replying. "Thank you, Daniel. That is, without a doubt, the nicest thing that any student has ever said to me. It means a lot to me." Putting on a smile, Quentin pulled away and ruffled Daniel's hair. "So, are we clear on that other thing? You _are_ worth all the trouble, and don't you forget it."

Daniel looked away, a shy smile on his face.

Half an hour later, they arrived at Quentin's home. He was looking forward to the meeting between Daniel and his wife, certain that she'd be charmed by the boy just as he had been. She even had an advantage over him. When _he_ first met Daniel, the boy wasn't talking.

"Hey, honey. We're home," Quentin called out as they entered the house, smiling and waiting for the reaction.

"We?" came the response from the laundry room. Kathleen came out of the room and stopped upon seeing the child beside her husband. Then she smiled brightly. "Well, hello there. You must be Daniel." She came forward. "I've heard lots of great things about you. It's good to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Greer. What great things?"

"Oh, about how smart you are and how nice you are, things like that." Kathleen grinned. "My husband is quite a fan of yours. He thinks you're the best thing since sliced bread."

Daniel's eyes grew wider. "He does? He is?" He looked up at his teacher, who was clearly more than a little embarrassed by his wife's revelation.

Quentin cleared his throat. "How about a nice glass of juice or milk, Daniel? I'm pretty thirsty after than long trip."

Along with milk, Daniel also got a piece of the apple pie Kathleen had baked. As he ate it at the little breakfast table in the kitchen, the two adults went into the dining room.

"I _am_ going to get revenge on you for that, you know," Quentin whispered to his wife.

She laughed softly. "Oh, but you should have seen your expression. It was priceless." She looked over at Daniel. "You told me all about how bright he is and how sweet he is, but you said nothing about how adorable he is. He's going to be quite a handsome one when he grows up."

"Yes, he'll probably leave a trail of broken hearts without even knowing it. I don't think that boy has any idea how special he is. Oh, by the way, he knows about the reason why we're doing the haunted house." Quentin told her about the conversation.

Kathleen frowned. "I don't think I like his foster father very much."

"Yes, I'm afraid that he doesn't sound like a very charming fellow. Diane Underwood seems like a nice lady, though." Quentin's eyes went to his student. "I'd love to have known Daniel when his parents were alive. He was probably a very happy little boy."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to see about making him a happy little boy again, at least for Halloween."

After Daniel had finished his pie, Kathleen showed him all the things she'd purchased for the haunted house. The boy identified each of the little statues and explained a bit about who the gods were that they represented. Kathleen smiled over the Egyptian mythology lesson, already able to tell that her husband hadn't been exaggerating about the child's intelligence.

"So, how would you suggest that we set things up, Daniel?" Quentin asked.

"Where are we going to have the mummy?"

"Hmm. Good question." The teacher turned to his wife. "The smaller spare bedroom?"

She nodded. "That would work."

Daniel asked to see the room. It was near the end of a hallway, to the left of the master bedroom. The room was small, containing only a bed and a chest of drawers.

"We could take the bed out and put it in another room," Quentin said.

"Then you could put the sarcophagus right in the middle of the room," Daniel responded.

"Yes, about that sarcophagus," Kathleen said. "How are we going to make it? We don't have that much time, you know."

"How about a refrigerator box?" Quentin suggested. "We could cut it down a bit, cover it with paper, and Daniel here could perform his magic on it and draw various hieroglyphs and Egyptian figures."

Kathleen nodded. "Okay. And the mummy?"

"Well, it is Halloween. They have those full-size figures that you fill with air. We could wrap one in strips from an old sheet."

"The material needs to look like it's old," Daniel said.

"Well, I don't know about making it look old, but we could certainly make it dirty. Toss it out in the mud in the backyard and let it dry, and that should do it."

Kathleen made a face. "Yes, and then have that dried mud all over the carpet. I'll get some brown food coloring, add it to a bowl of water, and soak the sheet in that. We can let it dry on the back porch."

Quentin smiled. "Great idea. I always knew there was more to you than just a pretty face."

"And a good thing there is, otherwise, you'd never have survived this long," Kathleen retorted.

Quentin leaned toward her. "Oh, is that a fact, Mrs. Greer."

"Yes, it is."

He kissed her. "You're probably right."

Daniel smiled as he watched them, thinking that they were pretty neat. He could tell that they really loved each other a lot by the way they looked at each other and smiled at each other. His mom and dad had looked and smiled at each other like that.

Thinking about his parents made Daniel sad, so he chose not to think about them. "Where are you going to be in your Anubis costume?" he asked his teacher.

"Um, let me see. Standing in the doorway of the master bedroom or the library would work. If we kept the lights off in there, I'd be in deep shadow."

Daniel's eyes brightened. "Library?"

Quentin chuckled. "I was wondering how long it would take you to ask about that. Come on. I'll show you."

The library was directly across the hall from the spare bedroom that would be used for the sarcophagus. Daniel gazed hungrily at all the books. He went to one of the big bookcases and scanned the titles there, seeing some that he'd heard of, many other that he hadn't.

Also in the room was a small desk, a couple of comfortable, cushy chairs, and a love seat, and Daniel really wanted to pull down one of those books, sit in a chair, and start reading.

Guessing what the boy was thinking, Quentin laughed. "Don't worry, Daniel. You'll have other opportunities to go digging into my library. I promise."

A bit reluctantly, Daniel left the room. He looked at the master bedroom, the door of which was at the very end of the hall.

"I think you should stand in the doorway of your bedroom," he said. "The kids will see you as they come down the hall. If you stand really still, you'll look a little like a statue. Then you can suddenly move and scare them."

Quentin grinned. "Daniel, I like the way you think."

They all went back into the living room.

"Do you think that Sam and her parents might have some good ideas about the haunted house?" Daniel asked.

"They might," Quentin replied. "Perhaps I should call them." He got on the phone. It was Jacob who answered. "Captain Carter? This is Quentin Greer, Daniel's teacher. Daniel's at my place, and we're busy devising our plans for Halloween. Daniel thought that you might want to be involved in the planning."

"Sure, we'd love to," Jacob replied. "When would you like us to come over?"

"Any time. We're going to have pizza for dinner."

All four members of the Carter clan arrived half an hour later and were filled in on what was planned so far.

"Sounds great, except for one thing," Jacob said.

"What's that?" asked Quentin.

"Well, I like the idea of having a mummy, but there's nothing really scary about a fake mummy that just lies there. It needs to move."

"Move? How would we do that?" Kathleen asked.

"Easy. _I'll_ be your mummy."

Everyone stared at him.

"You'd dress all up as the mummy?" Sam asked.

"Yep. You could put some pillows for me to lie on in that sarcophagus you're going to make, then I can pop out of it and scare the kids."

Sam bounced on her chair. "Oh, wow! That would be so funny!"

Quentin laughed. "Yes, I can see it now. We'll have every kid who comes in here go screaming out the door."

Up until now, Mark hadn't had any interest in being part of the haunted house, wanting to go out trick-or-treating with his friends instead, but this was sounding like it was going to be a lot of fun. He wanted to see his dad all wrapped up like a mummy.

"Can I help, too?" he asked.

Jacob and Laura looked at their son, pleased by his change of mind.

"Sure, you can," the captain answered. "What would you like to do?"

Daniel frowned. "We didn't get Mark a costume, Mister Greer," he said, worried. "We should have gotten him one, too."

"That's okay, Daniel," Laura responded. "We can figure something out."

The brainstorming began in earnest, everyone contributing thoughts and ideas. As it turned out, Jacob did, indeed, know someone on the base that he figured would have the skill to carve a piece of styrofoam into a crude likeness of Anubis' head.

"I'll call Ralph tomorrow and ask him about it," he said. "He's talked more than once about the things he's whittled out of wood. We'll see how good he really is."

"We're really going to be pressed for time on that head," Quentin said. "We need to get it early enough that we can cover it with papier-mache, let it dry, then spray paint it black. I doubt that we'll be able to get the styrofoam before Monday. No shop that would have blocks that big would be open on Sunday."

"How about getting smaller blocks and gluing them together?" Laura suggested. "I know of a couple of department stores that have blocks of styrofoam in their crafts section."

Jacob nodded. "That might work."

Kathleen smiled. "Looks like we'll be doing some more shopping tomorrow."

By the time the Carters left that evening, there was a concrete plan for what would be done and what part each of them would have in the execution. Kathleen would be going in the morning to shop for styrofoam, spray paint and several other things that they'd need, whereas Jacob would be seeing about trying to find a refrigerator box in good condition. Laura would be with the kids, getting started on making things and tearing up a couple of old sheets for the mummy wrappings. She'd volunteered to be in charge of dyeing the material to the desired brown color. As for Quentin, he was going to be busy making the tape of spooky sounds and voices.

Needless to say, Sunday was a busy day for everyone. Knowing that they needed to have them ready as soon as possible, Kathleen got the styrofoam blocks first and worked on glueing them together. As soon as that was done, Jacob took them over to Captain Ralph Freeman's house, along with the statue of Anubis for him to use as a reference. The man promised to get started on it right away. He said that he should have it done by Monday afternoon since it was not a very complex carving job and didn't need to have much in the way of details.

"You're lucky that I'm off-duty tomorrow, Jacob," he said. "You should hear my wife, though. She wanted me to fix the stove." The captain grinned. "You saved me from that chore . . . at least for a little while."

Jacob had succeeded in getting a refrigerator box. After Daniel pointed out that sarcophagi stood quite tall, it was decided not to cut it down. Instead, they would pile plenty of cushions and pillows inside to make a bed high enough for Jacob to lie on and be seen when he sat up. The sides had been covered with light brown posterboard, and Daniel was now busy drawing hieroglyphs and images on it with crayons. There would also be a lid for the sarcophagus.

As Sam and Mark ripped two old sheets into strips, Laura had the messy job of dyeing the strips a muddy brown color and hanging them up on the clothesline. Instead of doing it on the back porch, they'd decided to use the garage so that they wouldn't have to worry about the wind. The clothesline had been strung from one end of the garage to the other, a thick layer of newspaper laid underneath it to catch the drips.

As Kathleen walked into her house after her second shopping trip of the day, she heard a deep voice speaking a foreign language coming from the library. She went to the room and watched her husband from the doorway. He was speaking into a microphone, which was attached to a cassette tape recorder.

Seeing her, Quentin stopped recording.

"That sounds pretty good," Kathleen said.

"Well, I don't know how accurate the pronunciation is. Daniel didn't have much time last night to teach me the words. But he's the only one who's going to recognize any mistakes I made. I could speak complete nonsense, and, as long as it sounded like ancient Egyptian, everyone else who heard it would be convinced." Quentin smiled. "But you heard Daniel. He wants me to say real words." He shook his head. "He didn't tell me before that he could actually speak ancient Egyptian, although he made a point of explaining that we don't really know exactly how the language sounded, that a lot of it is educated guesswork."

Kathleen also smiled. "Hearing him last night I sometimes had a hard time believing he's only eight. He really is quite something."

"Oh, I didn't tell you what happened at the costume shop." Quentin recounted the incident with the employee and Daniel's explanation of all the mistakes in the costumes. Kathleen was laughing as he finished with the description of the guy's hasty retreat.

"Well, I can certainly understand why you kept talking about how remarkable he is," she said. She studied her husband's face. "You haven't talked about the fact that he'll be leaving your class in only a couple of months. How are you feeling about that?"

He paused before answering. "I know that, educationally, it will be the best thing for him. He could be put in the sixth grade if it wasn't for the fact that it would be terribly hard for him to cope with being so much younger than all the other kids in his class."

Kathleen came up to him. "Quentin, I'm not asking about your views on it as an educator, I'm asking how you _feel_ about it."

Quentin sighed. "I'm going to miss him."

"That's what I thought."

"I've had a lot of great kids in my class over the years, but Daniel. . . . I know I've said it before, but he's special. He's so bright and so eager to learn. He's constantly keeping me on my toes, trying to find ways to feed that brilliant mind of his. I know that not all teachers would welcome that kind of challenge, but it's been great. On top of that, he's a really sweet kid with no attitude at all when it comes to his intelligence." Quentin met his wife's eyes. "He told me that he wished I could always be his teacher."

Kathleen gave a sad sigh. "Oh, Quentin. He is going to be so sad when he's told."

"Yeah." Quentin looked down at the recorder. "Well, I need to get this finished, then get back to work on the other tape, the one with the haunted house sounds."

Kathleen gave him a hug and a kiss. "Okay. Let me know if you need anything. I'll be in the kitchen working on my own projects for this thing."

* * *

By the end of the day, a lot had been accomplished, which was a good thing since the next day was Monday, meaning that the majority of them would either be at work or at school.

Diane decided to drive Daniel to school in the morning instead of having him ride the bus. She knew that she was probably being silly, but she was still worried about him being exposed to cold and flu germs. Obviously, that couldn't be completely avoided, but she figured that in the enclosed space of a bus, the threat would be higher.

Daniel was more than a little surprised by what greeted him when he entered the school grounds.

"Is it true that you got pneumonia and almost died?" a little girl asked him.

"I got pneumonia, but I didn't almost die," Daniel replied.

It was not the first question about his illness that he had to answer. It appeared that quite a few of the children in the school were under the mistaken belief that he'd been at death's door. Several kids, most of whom had never talked to him before, came up to Daniel, wanting to know all about it. It was very disconcerting, and he escaped to his classroom as quickly as he could. He had hoped to see Sam this morning and say hi, but the incessant questions made him decide that seeing her could wait till lunch.

"Well, good morning, Daniel," Quentin greeted with a smile. Then he frowned, seeing the expression on his student's face. "What's wrong?"

Daniel told him what happened. "Why does everyone think I almost died?"

Quentin chuckled. "I'm afraid that's the way it is with gossip, Daniel. Things often get blown way out of proportion. I wouldn't be surprised if some kids even thought that you _did_ die."

"Really?"

"Yeah. But don't worry about it. Now that you're back at school and everyone can see that you're fine, this will all quiet down. I bet that by tomorrow or the next day, not another word will be spoken about it." Quentin smiled again. "So, other than being pestered with questions about your illness, are you glad to be back?"

Daniel nodded. He brought some sheets of paper up to the desk. "Here's the book report on the American history book and all my homework. I did a book report on The Second Jungle Book, too."

"You did? That's great. I'll look forward to reading it."

"Are you still going to give me a test on the history book?"

"Yes, but we'll do that later in the week. I want to read your report first. There's no sense in me giving you questions on points that are covered in your report."

Just then, Kenny Robinson came in. He smiled brightly when he saw Daniel.

"You're all better! I was worried that you wouldn't get better. A lot of the kids said that you were so sick you might die."

"No, I was never that sick."

"I missed seeing you at lunch," the black-haired boy said a little shyly.

"I missed seeing you, too. We can have lunch together with Sam today, if you want to. Nathan, too."

Kenny smiled. "Okay."

Shortly after that, the other kids in the class started coming in. Many of them talked to Daniel, asking how he was. Some seemed to genuinely care, which surprised Daniel and made him feel good.

Daniel enjoyed his morning back at school. He noticed Mister Greer smiling at him every now and then, so the teacher must have been happy that he was back, too.

At lunch, Daniel, Sam, Kenny and Nathan all ate together. Daniel kept looking at Sam throughout the meal, searching for some sign that she was upset or jealous, but she seemed to be enjoying herself as much as he was. He made an extra effort to make sure that he talked to her at least as much as the two boys and included her in every conversation.

After class ended for the day, Mister Greer called Daniel up to his desk.

"You'll be coming home with me today, if that's all right with you," the teacher said. "I called your foster mother, and she said it was fine. We're supposed to get that Anubis head this afternoon, and I figured that you'd like to help papier-mache it."

Daniel smiled. "Okay. That would be great. Can Sam come, too?"

"She could if I'd cleared it with her parents, but it would be too late now. She's probably already heading for the bus."

"I know which bus she takes. I can go get her."

Quentin nodded with a smile. "Okay, go see if you can catch her."

Daniel ran off to find Sam. She was a few feet from the bus when he spied her.

"Sam, wait!" he called.

She stopped and turned to him. "What's wrong?"

Daniel explained to her about him going home with Mister Greer. "Would you like to help with the papier-mache?"

"Yeah, that would be great! But I'm supposed to go home on the bus."

"We can call your mom and tell her."

"Okay."

The kids went back inside and to Daniel's classroom. Quentin took them to a phone, and Sam called her mom, telling her what was going on. She gave her permission for Sam to go to the teacher's house with Daniel.

As it turned out, Captain Freeman had finished the Anubis head and was going to be bringing it over soon, so Quentin went to the Carters' house with the kids to pick it up.

"Well, here it is," Laura said, lifting the head.

Not surprisingly, Daniel was the first one to make a move to take it. He studied it carefully.

"So? How'd he do?" Quentin asked.

"It's good. The ears are shorter than they should be, but only a little bit." Daniel turned it upside down and looked at the hollowed out area. "Is it going to fit you?"

"I sure hope so. Let's see."

Quentin took the Anubis head and slipped it over his head. It settled onto his shoulders a bit snugly, and he figured that it would need more hollowing out on the inside. There were no eye holes yet, so he couldn't see a thing, and little bits of styrofoam were getting inside his nose, making him want to sneeze. He removed the head, brushing pieces from his hair and face.

"It's a little tight, but I think we can fix that ourselves," he told the others.

"It needs holes for your eyes," Sam said.

"Yes, we'll have to do that ourselves after it's covered in the papier-mache." Quentin turned to Laura. "Thank Captain Freeman for this. It'll work beautifully."

The teacher and the two kids went on over to his house. This time, Kathleen knew that Daniel was coming. She didn't know about Sam, however.

"First one kid, now two," she said with a smile. "I expect you'll be bringing the entire school next time."

"No, that won't be till Halloween," Quentin told her with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Quentin, you had better hope that we don't get your entire school coming to our house that night. Otherwise, you, mister, are going to be hiring a maid service to clean the place afterwards. I'm tempted to have you do that anyway."

Quentin's expression turned thoughtful. "Hmm. Do any of them wear those cute little maid outfits with the short, frilly. . . ." He noted the look on his wife's face. "Well! Come on, kids. We need to get busy on this Anubis head."

Quentin managed to make the hole for his head bigger without severing any digits. They then got to work on making the papier-mache paste. Having never done it before, Daniel watched carefully as Sam mixed the ingredients.

As was usually the case when working with papier-mache, neither the children nor the work area remained clean. The adults stood back and simply watched as Daniel and Sam covered the styrofoam head with strips of paper . . . and themselves with the paste, the sound of giggles frequently filling the room.

As the last strip of paper was put in place, Sam, grinning wickedly, took her dripping hands and planted them right on Daniel's face. The boy let out a surprised squawk. He stared at his friend for about five seconds . . . then plopped _his_ hands on _her_ face.

With a squeal, Sam dipped into the paste mixture, picked up a glob, and splatted it on Daniel's nose. He did likewise.

Seeing a disaster brewing, Quentin rushed forward to prevent the kitchen from being turned into an abstract art gallery of papier-mache paste. His timing was a wee bit off, however, and he ended up with a blob of paste right in the middle of his chest.

Both kids gasped, then held their breath, worried that he'd get mad. Quentin looked down at the paste oozing down the front of his shirt.

"Go out on the back porch, please," he said calmly.

Now really worried, the kids did as they were told. Quentin came out a moment later. He was carrying the bowl of paste.

"So, what are we going to do about this situation?" he asked.

"We're really sorry, Mister Greer!" Sam exclaimed. "It was an accident."

"Oh, I know it was, Sam. However . . ." he scooped his hand into the bowl, "this isn't!" With that, he flung the handful of paste right at Sam, hitting her square in the chest.

It didn't take long for the contents of the bowl to decorate Daniel, Sam and Quentin from head to toe. Kathleen was laughing so hard her sides hurt as she watched the three of them chasing each other around the backyard with handfuls of the gooey stuff. She almost toppled over, breathless from laughter when, in the end, her husband found himself wearing the nearly empty bowl on his head, courtesy of Sam.

The three dripping, sticky people came walking up to her. Quentin looked her up and down.

"You, my dear, are entirely too clean." With a meaningful look, he scooped off some of the paste adorning his hair.

Kathleen backed up, holding her hands out before her defensively. "Don't you dare!"

Quentin paid no attention to her words, and the paste went flying to go splat on her neck.

"Get her!" he cried.

Daniel and Sam dashed forward with messy hands and bodies. Kathleen shrieked and ran away into the yard. Her retreat was futile.

Ten minutes later, the four very messy people went into the house.

"No one steps a foot on the carpet until they're clean," Kathleen commanded. She went into the laundry room and got a change of clothes for herself and her husband from what she'd washed that afternoon. What the kids were going to wear was tougher. She picked out a couple of Quentin's T-shirts, figuring that they'd have to do.

"Okay, Sam and I get to wash up and change first," she said, glad that there was a sink in the laundry room.

As the girls washed and changed, Quentin looked around at the mess in the kitchen and on the floors.

"Me thinks that we're going to be doing a bit of house cleaning after we're changed," he muttered.

"I'm sorry we made such a mess, Mister Greer," Daniel said.

"It's okay, Daniel. Doing papier-mache is never a mess-free thing," he chuckled, "although I wasn't expecting a war to break out."

Daniel smiled. "That was fun."

"Yes, it was, but we're going to have to put your pants and shirt in the washer. I don't think your foster mother would appreciate you being sent home with dried on paste all over your clothes."

Daniel studied his teacher. "You're a lot different from Mister Underwood."

"Oh? In what way?"

"You play with us and do things with us, like my dad did and like Captain Carter does."

"And your foster father doesn't?"

Daniel shook his head. "After he gets home from work, he just watches TV, or reads the newspaper, or fixes up his old car."

Sadly, Quentin was not surprised. "Does he ever hug you or anything like that?"

"No. I don't think he's very interested in kids."

The teacher sighed. The one thing Daniel needed above all else was love, and he ended up in a household in which one adult was completely uninterested in the kids under his care.

When Sam and Kathleen emerged from the laundry room, it was with relatively clean, damp hair, clean bodies and clean clothes. Quentin's T-shirt came well past the little girl's knees.

"Your turn," Kathleen said.

A while later, with everyone clean, all the paste-spattered clothes were stuck in the washer.

Kathleen looked around at the mess. "You know where the mop and bucket are, Quentin," she said, her tone telling him that he'd be the one mopping the floor.

And that's what he did. As he took care of the floor, the two kids cleaned the kitchen table while Kathleen rinsed the bowl the paste had been in and the utensils used to mix the stuff. The Anubis head had been placed in the laundry room sink, where it would dry without making more of a mess.

Once the place was clean, they all retired to the living room with glasses of soda pop.

"Do you think the one layer of papier-mache will be enough?" Kathleen asked.

"It'll have to be," Quentin replied. "It will take several hours for it to dry, and we still need to paint it. I doubt that one coat of paint will be enough. Tomorrow's the last full day we have for doing everything. I'll have to put the first coat on before I go to class in the morning and the second coat after I get home."

"I can do the second coat if it needs it," Kathleen said.

"What about the eyes?" Sam asked.

"I guess we'll have to cut those out tomorrow afternoon, then do a bit of touching up on the paint."

As they waited for the kids' clothes to get finished in the washer and dryer, they all worked on other things for the haunted house.

"Maybe I can come over tomorrow and help some more," Daniel said hopefully as the time came for him and Sam to go home.

Both Quentin and Kathleen smiled.

"We'd like that," the woman said.

"Can I come over, too?" Sam asked.

"Sure, if your parents say you can," Quentin answered.

The teacher dropped Daniel off first, then went to the base.

"So, how did it go?" Jacob asked the teacher.

"Fine, very, very messy, but fine. We'll be finishing up the Anubis head tomorrow, and there are still a few other things to do as well. I'll be bringing Daniel home with me again after school. Sam said that she'd like to join us, if it's all right with you."

"Sure, I don't see why not. And if you need more help, give us a call in the evening, and the rest of us will come over."

"Will do." 


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

That night as Quentin and Kathleen got ready for bed, it was no surprise that the topic of conversation was Halloween, which led to Quentin mentioning the costumes and what Daniel said about Egyptian men shaving off all their hair. The moment he told her, he knew he was in trouble. The smile of glee on her face told him what she was going to say before she said it.

"Now, where's that new razor I just got?" she murmured, glancing about the room as if actually looking for it.

"Kat, I am _not_ shaving my chest. No way."

"Aw, come on, Quentin. It's not like the hair won't grow back." She tugged on a few strands. "You'll have your mainly fur back in no time."

"I fail to see why I have to shave my chest. We're not looking for a prize in authenticity, you know."

"Well, no, but if you shave your chest, we can cover you with dark body makeup and give you that lovely bronzed look. Then you'll _really_ look the part."

Quentin glared at her. "You're not going to give up on this, are you."

Kathleen made a show of thinking about it. "Nope."

Her husband made a growling sound. "Fine! I'll shave my chest. But I don't want to hear you complaining about razor stubble every night when it starts to grow back."

Kathleen planted a kiss in the center of his chest. "No complaints. I promise." She grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the bathroom. "Let's go find that razor."

* * *

The next morning, Quentin, sans chest hair, gave the Anubis head its first coat of paint, then headed off to work.

The kids were all excited about Halloween, and the teacher decided to take advantage of it by creating learning activities with a Halloween theme.

At one point, one of the students raised her hand, and Quentin called on her.

"Yes, Jean?"

"I heard that you're going to have a haunted house at your house. Are you really going to have one?"

"Yes, we are, and it's going to be pretty scary. You're all invited to come see. I'll put my address on the chalkboard so that you can write it down. There will be treats, too, so bring your bags and buckets."

That afternoon, Daniel and Sam again accompanied Quentin home. They all studied the Anubis head, which was now a nice rich black, thanks to the second coat of paint Kathleen gave it.

"Okay, now we need to figure out how we're going to put the eye holes in the right place," the teacher said.

"We'll have to take some measurements," Kathleen responded. "I'll go get my cloth measuring tape."

After doing some careful measuring, Quentin cut out the eye holes. He made them very small to begin with just in case their position was a little off. It turned out that they were just about perfect, so he enlarged them. He also made a small slit in the vicinity of his nose so that he could breathe more easily.

They all went into the bathroom, and Quentin put the head on. He studied his reflection. It looked great, except for one thing. His eyes were clearly visible through the openings.

"I suppose I could put some black face paint around my eyes," he said as he took the head off. "That would help a little."

Kathleen stared at the head, frowning thoughtfully. "You know, I think I have a better idea. Stay here."

She left the room. When she returned, she had the lenses from a pair of dark sunglasses. She took them and placed them over the eye holes.

"There you go," she said. "We can glue these on. As dark and shadowy as the hallway will be, I bet you won't even be able to see them."

Quentin smiled. "Those will work great." Then he frowned. "Wait a minute. Aren't those from my sunglasses?"

"Yes, but you've been needing a new pair for ages. These were all scratched up."

Quentin pouted. "But they were my favorite pair."

Kathleen patted his cheek. "Aw, poor baby. I'll buy you some pretty new ones."

Quentin looked down at the two kids. Sam was giggling slightly, and Daniel had a grin on his face.

"Hey! I'll teach you to giggle at me!" the teacher exclaimed.

Three seconds later, the kids ran squealing out of the bathroom, pursued by Quentin, whose fingers were looking for tummies to tickle.

The lenses of Quentin's beloved sunglasses were glued on the head, and he tried it on again, reluctantly agreeing that it was worth the sacrifice. It looked fantastic.

Kathleen had picked up the costumes that morning. She'd already tried hers on, including the wig she'd also gotten, and found that it fit well, but they needed to make sure that Sam's would fit. Since Daniel and Quentin had tried theirs on at the shop, they didn't need to do so again, but both Kathleen and Sam were dying to see what they looked like, so the teacher and his student agreed to model the costumes.

In the master bedroom, Quentin put the Anubis costume on, including the head. He grinned as he looked at himself in the full-length mirror.

"Oh, this is going to be good."

The others were in the living room when he came out, Sam doing a cute little pirouette in her costume. Kathleen was the first to see him and let out a gasp.

"Oh, my!" she exclaimed softly.

The kids turned around and stared at him.

"Oh, wow!" Sam cried. "That looks so cool!"

"You shaved your chest," Daniel said, smiling hugely. His teacher almost looked like the real Anubis.

Quentin took the head off. "Yes. We're not going to talk about that."

The boy looked down at the man's bare legs. Quentin followed his gaze.

"Don't even say it!" he ordered. "I agreed to shave my chest, but I am not, repeat _not_ going to shave my legs! No way. Not a chance in he. . . . Not a chance!"

Kathleen grinned wickedly. "You know, that razor is still pretty sharp."

Quentin pointed at her. "You stay away from me, woman."

The teacher hurried up and changed back into his pants and shirt before the others could gang up on him and hold him down while his maniacal wife removed more of his body hair.

"Oh, I got some dark make-up for you," Kathleen said. "They had some at the costume shop."

Jacob, Laura and Mark came over that evening to help out with the final few things that needed doing.

"So, you think you're ready for this?" the captain asked Quentin as they stood out on the back porch, beers in hand, looking up at the clear, star-filled sky.

"I think so. I don't envy _you_, though, lying there all wrapped up from head to toe." The teacher grinned. "I hope you don't have bladder issues."

"Yeah. I'll definitely be taking it easy on the beverages beforehand." Jacob looked at him. "I never did tell you how nice it is that you're doing this for Daniel. I don't know of many teachers who'd go through this much effort to give one of their students a fun holiday."

Quentin turned and looked through the sliding glass doors at the people inside the house. Daniel and Sam were sitting on the floor, drawing Egyptian figures on some more poster board. The teacher's eyes focused on the boy.

"Well, I'm not sure that I'd do this for just anyone. Daniel is a special case."

Jacob smiled. "Ah, he got to you, too, I see."

Quentin looked at him. "What?"

"Laura and I absolutely adore him. It didn't take him long at all to grab our hearts. There's just something about him that makes you love him."

The teacher's eyes returned to his student. "Yes, I guess there is."

* * *

The next day dawned cold and clear. It was supposed to remain clear throughout the day and evening, which meant that there would be even more trick-or-treaters out on the streets.

For the third day in a row, Daniel went home with his teacher. They'd decided that it didn't make any sense for him to go home and then have to be brought over by his foster mother later. He did his homework in the library, his fingers itching to reach out and take down one of the books. He resisted the urge and focused on the schoolwork.

The process of preparing the house had already been started. Laura had come over that morning to help Kathleen, and they got quite a bit accomplished. Everything had been cleared away from the path that the kids would take, except for the tables upon which the Egyptian figurines sat. Dark flannel sheets had been strung up to block off part of the living room, and candles were all over the place, ready to be lit.

As soon as Jacob got off work, he and his family headed over to the Greer place. They all looked around.

"Hey, it's looking good," Jacob said.

"Wait till you see it when the lights are off and the candles lit," Kathleen responded.

Once everything was in place, they all got busy with the fake cobwebs, making the place look like it had been abandoned for years. Once that was done, they ate an early dinner. And then came the time for Jacob to don his costume, or, rather, for it to be donned on him.

Stripped down to his T-shirt and boxer shorts, Jacob stood as his wife and Quentin wrapped him from the feet up. He had black makeup around his eyes and on his eyelids since, unlike Quentin, he couldn't hide his eyes behind sunglass lenses.

It seemed to take forever, but, at last, the final strip of cloth was pinned into place. The captain walked stiffly to the mirror.

"Oh, good lord," he said, chuckling. "What did I get myself into? Come on. Let's show the others."

Deciding to have a bit of fun, instead of just walking out into the living room, Jacob took up the classic mummy pose and clomped, stiff-legged down the hall, moaning loudly.

Sam let out a sound between a shriek and a laugh when she saw her father. Mark was grinning from ear to ear.

"Wow, Dad. You look great!" he said.

"You sure do," Kathleen agreed.

"Really scary!" Sam exclaimed.

Jacob looked at Daniel. "So, what do you think?"

"I think you're going to scare all of the kids." The boy grinned. "This is going to be really fun."

With his wife's help, Quentin put on the dark makeup, slathering it on every inch of skin that would be exposed. He then put on the skirt and collar.

Kathleen gaped at her husband, amazed at the transformation. With his large, powerful build now darkly tanned, he really did looked like the mythical god he was portraying.

"Wow," she breathed. "You look amazing."

Quentin looked at himself in the mirror. "Thanks. The makeup does make a difference, doesn't it."

"I'd love to see what you look like with the makeup on your face."

"Sorry, but you'll just have to use your imagination. My face will be covered by the Anubis head, so I don't need makeup there. Besides, I know I'm going to sweat under that thing. Wearing face makeup would make it ten times worse."

Putting the head on, it was Quentin's turn to awe everyone, and awe them he did. They all stared at him, mouths hanging open.

"Holy cow, Quentin," Jacob said.

Daniel's eyes were shining. "You look really great, Mister Greer, like the real Anubis."

The teacher removed the head, which he was going to wear as little as possible. "Thanks."

"Can I wear some of that makeup, too?"

"Sure. That would be a great idea." He grinned. "I think we're going to give them quite a show."

* * *

The house was dark, candle flames flickering eerily in the windows. Torches were planted in the ground on either side of the steps to the porch, casting wavering circles of light. A sign in the yard said, "King Sekhemkhet calls you to enter his haunted tomb, if you dare."

On the front porch stood a woman dressed like an Egyptian princess. Her hair was reddish-black, as if the dark tresses had been washed in henna. Her eyes were adored with black makeup, lips ruby red.

"Come," she called. "Come into Sekhemkhet's tomb. But beware, for many who enter never return. Are you brave enough to face the spirit of the mighty pharaoh and live? Come!"

A group of four seven and eight-year-olds was the first to venture up the walkway, followed by the father of one of the kids.

The Egyptian princess smiled at them. "Ah, brave ones. Are you prepared to enter the tomb?" Four little heads nodded. She opened the door. "Then enter and beware."

The kids and man went inside. All around them was the sound of creaking things, with faint moans and sighs. A dark-skinned boy of eight, dressed as a pharaoh, stood just inside the doorway. Beside him was a girl of the same age, also in Egyptian garb. They handed the children candy.

"Here. Take food," the boy said. "It may sustain you as you venture into the darkness beyond." He swept his arm to the left.

The four kids looked in that direction. A long, cobweb-infested hallway met their eyes, dark and creepy, the only light coming from a few candles, which shone upon small Egyptian statues.

A couple of the kids looked nervously at the man with them.

"Will you come with us, Daddy?" one of the seven-year-olds asked.

"No, he must remain," the Egyptian girl said. "Only children may enter."

"It's okay, Billy," the man said. "I'll be right here."

Hesitantly, the four kids headed for the hall. As they entered it, they could see a figure standing at the end, nothing but blackness in the open doorway beyond. Their eyes grew wide as they got a better look. The huge figure stood like it was carved in stone. Dark brown skin gleamed faintly in the distant candlelight. His head was that of a jackal, as black as coal. In his right hand was a spear, the end of its haft resting on the floor.

As they continued down the hall, they began hearing a voice murmuring in a strange language. It was coming from ahead of them. They paused for a moment, then continued, huddling closer together.

And then the figure at the end of the hall moved, making the kids jump and gasp. He brandished his spear.

"I am Anubis, lord of the dead," he intoned in a deep voice. He pointed his spear at the kids. "I am going to steal your souls and feed your hearts to Ammit!" He took a single stride toward the kids.

With piercing shrieks, the children fled away down the hall. They shot through the living room and out the door, right past their stunned guardian.

"Well, that didn't take long," Kathleen murmured.

In the hall, Quentin was chuckling, grinning behind the Anubis head.

"Hey, Quentin?" came a muffled voice.

The teacher peeked his head into the 'sarcophagus room'. "Yeah, Jacob?"

"Try to be a little less scary, will ya? I'm not lying in here for nothing, you know."

"Sorry. I'll let you scare the next batch."

"Thank you."

The next batch came just five minutes later. These kids were a bit older and didn't show that they were a little scared as they entered the hall of the "tomb". They jumped even higher, though, when Anubis suddenly came to life.

"I am Anubis, lord of the dead. Woe to all who enter here. Only the bravest will survive." He beckoned them forward. "Come if you dare. The king awaits you."

Slowly, the kids moved forward, their eyes never leaving Anubis. As they drew abreast of one of the doors, it slowly opened, seemingly on its own.

Anubis chuckled darkly. "The king welcomes you. Go in, young ones."

The kids looked through the doorway. The room beyond was dimly lit with candles. In their light stood a closed box with figures and strange symbols upon it. The voice speaking in the unknown language was coming from within the room.

Cautiously, the kids stepped inside. They froze when they heard a low moan come from inside the box. And then the lid jerked upward an inch, making the kids jump back. Another moan came, louder and deeper.

Wide-eyed, the kids watched as the lid lifted and fell aside. A mummy, bandages brown and ragged, slowly sat up and turned to them, moaning, arms reaching for them.

Behind the kids came an evil laugh.

"And now you will die!" said 'Anubis'.

That was the last straw for the kids, who screamed and escaped the room. Like the ones before them, they were out the door so fast that the man who'd accompanied them barely had time to blink before they were gone.

Inside the spare bedroom, Jacob laughed. "That was fun."

A grinning Mark came out of his hiding place behind the door. "That was cool."

"Not bad, Jacob," Quentin said. "You play a good mummy."

"Thanks." Jacob turned to his son. "Let's get this lid back on. We'll have another batch coming soon."

The captain laid back down in the "sarcophagus", and Mark replaced the lid, then shut the door. It was he who had opened the door when the children got near. He was also in charge of the tape recording of Quentin speaking ancient Egyptian. Since it wasn't a long recording, it was going to have to be rewound often. The tape was playing on the Greers' stereo system, which had been moved into the room. Jacob had brought their stereo system to the house as well. Through it was playing the long recording of the haunted house sounds.

The third batch of kids, the youngest so far, didn't even make it halfway down the hall. As soon as Quentin moved, they turned tail and ran screaming away.

"Don't say it, Jacob," the teacher said. "I wasn't even trying that time."

And so the evening went. As time wore on, Quentin and Jacob slipped into a bit of a competition, seeing which of them could be scarier. They took turns terrifying the young visitors.

Laura had the job of providing water to everyone, and, most importantly for Quentin, a cool, wet cloth to wipe over his sweaty face every now and then. Though Jacob was quite thirsty, he had to take it easy on how much he drank since going to the bathroom would be impossible as long as he was in the mummy suit. Laura was also the one who passed messages between everybody, like when they had to take a short break so that the kids could use the bathroom.

As usual, later in the evening, the teenagers were the ones out having Halloween fun. No one really expected to scare them out of the house, but they did manage to startle a good portion of the teens, and they got lots of rave reviews on the spookiness of the place.

"You look awesome in that thing, Mister Greer," praised one neighborhood boy of fifteen. "And the mummy is terrific."

By the time the "haunted tomb" was closed for the night, everyone was ready to just sit and relax for the rest of the evening. Jacob was unwrapped, and both Quentin and Daniel lost their phony tans. The rented costumes were all put away in their garment bags. They'd be returned tomorrow.

"Well, that was really something else," Jacob said as he plopped onto the couch.

Sam was grinning broadly. "You should have seen the look on the faces of the kids that ran away. They were really scared."

"Yeah, well, between Quentin and his 'lord of the dead, gonna feed your heart to Ammit' act and my mummy jack-in-the-box routine, I'd have been rather surprised if we didn't send kids out screaming into the night."

Quentin turned to his student. "So, Daniel. Did you have fun?"

The boy grinned back at him. "Yeah, it was great! Too bad we couldn't do this every year."

"Well, I don't know about _every_ year, but I'm not going to say that we won't ever do it again."

"Ah, but you might say that when we're neck-deep in cleaning this place up," Kathleen remarked.

Laura looked around. "You want some help?"

"Not tonight. We'll go ahead and take down all the sheets that are hanging up, but it's too late to get started on the rest. Tomorrow will be cleaning day."

"Yes, speaking of the late hour, I need to get you home, Daniel," Quentin said. "It's way past your bedtime."

Jacob got to his feet. "We can drop him off on our way home."

Everyone else rose to their feet as well.

"Well, this was certainly a night to remember," Kathleen said. "And I'm betting that it'll be the talk of the neighborhood for weeks to come."

* * *

Not only was it the talk of the neighborhood, it was also the talk of the school. Several kids from the school had visited the haunted house, including a few from Quentin's class. The teacher smiled as he listened to the students who did go excitedly talking about it to the ones who didn't.

"That was you who was playing Anubis, wasn't it, Mister Greer?" asked one child.

"Yes, it sure was."

"Who was the mummy?"

"That was Samantha and Mark Carter's dad."

"Are you going to do it next year?" another student asked, one who hadn't been there.

Quentin glanced at Daniel. "I don't know, Cliff. We'll just have to wait and see."

At lunch, both Nathan and Kenny told Daniel and Sam that they were sorry they couldn't go to the haunted house.

"I wanted to go," said Nathan, "but my parents didn't want us to walk that far at night, and our car is in the shop being fixed."

"My dad doesn't like Halloween," Kenny revealed in a low, sad voice. "He says it's stupid."

"Didn't you even get to go trick-or-treating?" Sam asked.

The boy shook his head, looking even sadder. "I never get to go anymore, not since Mama died."

Daniel gazed at Kenny sympathetically, understanding his pain. The boy's mother had died over a year ago, but he still grieved over her loss and had talked in private with Daniel about it. Kenny was the only kid at school other than Sam and Mark who knew that Daniel's parents were dead. Not even Nathan knew yet, though Daniel figured that he'd probably tell the boy someday.

Daniel was in the midst of doing his homework when Mrs. Underwood came into his room. She took a seat on the bed.

"Come sit beside me, Daniel. We need to talk about something."

Worried that he'd done something wrong or that something bad had happened, Daniel did as he was asked.

"Your caseworker called this morning. There's someone that she'd like you to talk to."

"Who?"

"His name is Doctor Pine. He's a psychologist. Do you know what that is?"

Daniel nodded. "One talked to me in the hospital after Mom and Dad died. Why do I have to talk to another one? I didn't like that other psychologist."

"We're just concerned about you, Daniel. You had those flashbacks, and you still have the nightmares, though you don't seem to be having them as often now. The doctor just wants to ask you some questions and see if perhaps there's a way we can help you feel better about everything."

Daniel stared at his hands, which were folded in his lap. He didn't want to talk to another psychologist. The other one had asked him a bunch of questions and frowned a lot when Daniel didn't answer. He wrote lots of stuff in his notebook, and Daniel had known that it was all about him. But it didn't look like he had a choice in the matter, so he'd just have to make the best of it.

"When do I have to see him?" Daniel asked.

"You have an appointment with him next Tuesday." Diane stroked his hair. "I'm sure it will be fine, Daniel. I'll get a babysitter for the other kids so that I can be right there with you." She got to her feet. "Dinner will be ready in about half an hour."

After his foster mother left, Daniel remained sitting on the bed, thinking about the upcoming appointment. The thing he dreaded the most was that a lot of the questions the psychologist asked would be about the death of Daniel's parents and how he felt about it. That's what the other one asked about. Daniel didn't want to talk about his mom and dad dying. He didn't want to talk about how it made him feel, how much he missed them, the nightmares he still had about the coverstone falling. He hadn't told the kids at school about his parents' death because he didn't want them talking about it and asking a bunch of questions. He wanted to just keep it all private, deep inside of him. Talking about it just made it hurt worse. All he could hope was that it wouldn't be as bad this time.

Everyone was surprised to see a small article in the local newspaper about their "haunted tomb". As it turned out, one of the parents who'd accompanied his child and her friends was a reporter for the paper. He'd asked Kathleen, Daniel and Sam a lot of questions while the kids he'd been with went down the hall and got the wits scared out of them, but no one had thought much about it at the time. The man included in the article that King Sekhemkhet was a real Egyptian king in the Third Dynasty, something he'd learned from Daniel, and talked about their recreation of Anubis, details of which he found out from his daughter.

Apparently, the man had been quite impressed with Daniel's intelligence and knowledge about ancient Egypt. He stated in the article, "One of the orchestrators of the 'haunted tomb' was an extraordinarily bright boy of eight who gave me a far more interesting lesson on ancient Egypt than anything I ever learned in school. Too bad he hadn't been one of my teachers. I might have actually paid attention."

Quentin chuckled when he read that part. "Well, looks like our little Egyptology professor just got a bit of publicity. Mark my words, Kat. Someday, that boy is going to do important things with his life." 


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The next day, Daniel wasn't in the mood to eat in the cafeteria and chat with all his friends, so he and Sam went to their "secret" lunch place, the baseball dugout.

"I have to talk to a psychologist next week," the boy told his best friend.

"You mean a head doctor?"

Daniel frowned. "Head doctor?"

"That's what I heard one called on TV."

"I don't know. I guess. I have to talk to one because of the flashbacks, and the nightmares, and everything else. I really don't want to. One talked to me after my parents died, and I hated it."

"I don't think they should make you go see one if you don't want to. That's mean."

Daniel shrugged. "I'm glad it's not the same one this time."

"Maybe I could come with you."

"I don't think they'd let you." Daniel didn't add that he'd really rather not have her there anyway. He knew that it was going to be upsetting, and he didn't want Sam to be there if he cried.

In the afternoon session, Mister Greer gave everyone some special projects for their homework. As usual, Daniel's was more advanced than everyone else's. It was going to be quite challenging, and he was looking forward to working on it over the weekend.

He was halfway to the bus when he realized that he'd left his homework assignment on his desk. Hoping that he wouldn't miss his bus, Daniel ran back to the classroom. He was puzzled to see that the door was closed. The only time it was ever closed was during class.

Wondering if he should knock, Daniel opened the door a crack. He heard the voice of the principal, Mister Parker.

"Quentin, I'm just concerned that you're getting too personally involved with Daniel. From what I understand, you spent a great deal of time with him before and during Halloween."

"Because he was involved in the haunted house we did. He was helping us with everything. We had Samantha Carter there a great deal of the time, too, yet you're not objecting to that."

"That's because Samantha Carter isn't one of your students. We discourage our teachers from becoming personally involved with any of their students for a reason, Quentin. There could be questions about your objectivity."

"Oh, get off it, Ted. Considering the fact that Daniel is already being given different work than my other students, there aren't any parents who will accuse me of favoritism. Besides, pretty soon he'll no longer be one of my students, so what difference does it make?"

Daniel stood frozen in place. He wasn't going to be in Mister Greer's class anymore? Why? Why was he going to be taken out of the class? Didn't Mister Greer want to be his teacher anymore?

Tears filling his eyes, Daniel turned and fled, dashing away down the mostly empty corridor. When he made it outside, he saw that his bus was gone, but he didn't care. With tears flowing down his face, Daniel ran across the playground. It was cold and raining, so the place was completely empty. He headed straight to the dugout and sat on the bench, pulling his knees up to his chest.

Yet again, Daniel was losing something he loved, and he didn't even know why. He thought that Mister Greer liked him and liked being his teacher. Mister Greer had been so nice, and had played with him and Sam, and had done the haunted house just so that Daniel would have a fun Halloween. But, now, he wasn't going to be Daniel's teacher anymore. Why did everything always have to change? Why did all the good stuff in his life have to be taken away?

* * *

Quentin had been stewing at his desk for the past half-hour, too angry to grade the pile of tests before him. The last thing he had expected was to be lectured by the principal about the time he'd been spending with Daniel. There had been a good reason for spending all those hours with the boy. He bet that if the same number of hours had been spent here in the classroom doing extracurricular activities with Daniel, not a single complaint would have been spoken, but because Daniel had spent most of that time in Quentin's house, it was a big issue.

There was a knock on the door, and one of the girls from the administration office poked her head in. She glanced about and frowned.

"He's not here," she said.

"Who's not here?"

"Daniel Jackson."

Quentin's face darkened. "If Ted sent you in here to check up on me, you can tell him to. . . . Never mind, I'll tell him myself."

The woman gave him a blank look. "What? I don't know what you're talking about. Daniel's foster mother called. Daniel wasn't on his bus, and she's worried. She wanted to see if he stayed over after class, and someone forgot to call and let her know."

Quentin's ire instantly transformed into deep concern. He got to his feet. "Have you talked to the bus driver?"

"Yes. He doesn't recall seeing Daniel get on the bus."

Quentin left the room with her. "I'll call Mrs. Underwood."

They went to the office, and Quentin made the call. Diane sounded pretty frantic when she answered.

"Oh, please tell me that Daniel is with you," she said.

"I wish I could. He left when all the other students did."

"Oh, I just don't know where he could be. I know he was upset that he was going to have to see that psychologist, but I just can't see him running away because of it."

"Daniel has an appointment with a psychologist?"

"Yes, because of the flashbacks and everything else. I told him about it yesterday, and I know that he was really unhappy about it." There was a long pause, then, "You don't think he'd actually run away, do you?"

"No, I really don't think he would," Quentin assured her.

"But where could he be, then? You don't think that. . . . You hear on the news about children being taken, but. . . ."

Quentin's gut clenched painfully. No, he was not going to think about that. "I'll check around the school grounds. I hope that's not the case, but maybe Daniel had an accident and was injured."

"Oh, I hope you find him and that he's all right. Please, please call me and let me know whether or not you find him."

"I will." Quentin hung up and turned to the woman who'd brought him the news about Daniel. "I'm going to see if he might be here somewhere. Is there anyone else around who can help me look?"

"I don't know. Mister Parker is already gone, and so is the vice principal. Some of us girls are still here. I suppose we could help look around." She studied his face. "Do you really think he's still here? There was that story in the papers a few months ago about that little boy who was taken by somebody. They found his body in a ditch. The case is still unsolved."

A sick feeling welled up inside Quentin. The thought of someone taking Daniel and. . . . God, he wasn't going to think about that.

"I'm not going to jump to any conclusions yet," he said. "First, we search the school. If he's not here, then we'll consider other things. You and the other girls search inside the main building. I'll check outside. And be sure you look everywhere. Look in the bathrooms first."

Grabbing his coat, Quentin went outside. He first checked around the area where the buses were loaded, but saw no sign of the boy. He then headed into the playground. At first glance, the place looked utterly deserted, cold, grey and empty in the pouring rain, but a small bit of color caught Quentin's eye. He hurried toward it, hoping that it was Daniel.

Quentin was still a few yards from the baseball diamond when the lone figure in the dugout was fully revealed. An overwhelming wave of relief hit him as he recognized Daniel, and his first instinct was to run over there and pull the boy into his arms, followed by a scolding for scaring everyone half to death. But then he got a good look at the child's posture. Daniel was huddled on the bench, legs pulled in tight to his chest, face hidden against his knees. Something was wrong.

Quentin approached the dugout, waiting until he was there before speaking.

"Daniel?" he inquired softly.

The boy started violently, his head shooting up. The tracks of dried tears were on his face. Seeing his teacher, Daniel looked away and wiped his face.

Quentin sat on the bench. "Daniel, what's wrong?" The boy didn't answer and refused to look at him. Quentin reached out and touched his arm. "Hey. Whatever it is, you can tell me."

Daniel's chin dropped. "I forgot my homework, and I went back to get it, but you were talking with Mister Parker. He was mad at you because of all the time you spent with me, and . . . and. . . ." Daniel finally looked at him. "Why aren't I going to be in your class anymore? Don't you want to be my teacher?"

Quentin cursed silently. Of all the lousy ways for the kid to find out, this had to be the worst.

"Of course I want to be your teacher, Daniel. I'd love it if I could always be your teacher."

"They why aren't I going to be in your class anymore?"

The teacher sighed. "You remember those special tests you took a few days before you got sick?"

"Yeah."

"Well, those tests proved what we already knew, that you are very, very smart, too smart to be in the second grade. It was decided that it would be better for you to be put in a higher grade."

"But you're already giving me schoolwork for higher grades."

"I know, but they decided that wasn't enough. After the holidays, you're going to be put in the fourth grade. You'll still be given some special lessons like you are in my class."

"But I don't want to be in the fourth grade. I don't want to be in another class. I want to stay in your class."

"Oh, Daniel. I wish you could, but it's not up to me."

Daniel's head dropped. "I wish I wasn't smart," he whispered. "I wish I was like all the other kids."

"Hey. Don't you ever say that, Daniel. You have a gift, a wonderful, precious gift for which you should be thankful. Don't ever wish that you didn't have it. I know that it seems like it's a bad thing right now, but your intelligence will take you far. Years from now, when all of this is in the past, I'm certain that you'll be glad that you're smart, and I'm betting that a lot of other people will be glad of it, too."

Daniel didn't respond to his words. The boy looked so sad that Quentin wanted to pull him into a big hug. Instead, he said, "Come on. We need to call your foster mother. She's worried sick about you. You weren't on the bus, and she thought something had happened to you."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know it was that late. I missed my bus, and I just wanted to be alone."

"I know. Let's go. We'll call Mrs. Underwood, then I'll take you home."

Diane was relieved beyond words when Quentin called her and told her that Daniel was safe.

"I'll be bringing him home," he said. "I'll explain when I get there."

Daniel was silent on the trip to his house, hunched low in his seat. Diane embraced him tightly when they arrived. He apologized for scaring her.

"I'm just so glad that you're all right," she said. "You mustn't do things like that, Daniel. I was afraid that something terrible had happened to you."

Daniel's head dropped low. "I'm sorry," he mumbled again. "Please, may I be excused?"

"Yes, go on to your room. We'll talk later."

Once the boy was gone, Quentin told Diane that Daniel had overheard a conversation about his removal from the second grade, omitting what the conversation was really about.

"He didn't hear anything about the reason why," he explained, "just that he was no longer going to be my student, and it really upset him."

"Oh, what terribly bad luck," Diane said. "I was intending to wait until shortly before the holiday break to tell him. I was tempted to wait until after Christmas so that the holiday wouldn't be spoiled for him, but I figured that he might, well . . . want to say goodbye to you on that last day."

"You should know that he didn't miss the bus on purpose. He'd forgotten his homework and came back to get it. It was just a really bad case of timing that the principal had come to speak with me about Daniel. The bus was already gone by the time Daniel got back outside. He was upset and went off to be alone, and he lost track of the time."

Diane let out a sad sigh. "It's just one thing after another, isn't it. That poor little boy just can't seem to catch a break. I honestly don't know what to say to him about this."

"I've already explained the reasons why he's being bumped up to the fourth grade, but children seldom care about what's logical or practical. All Daniel cares about is that he's being taken out of a class that he loves. You know, there is someone who might be able to make him feel better. You should call the Carters and see if they can bring their daughter over. Sam might be just the ticket to cheer Daniel up."

There was no answer at the Carter residence when Diane called. She told Quentin that she'd try again later.

Though Quentin hated to leave, there was a pile of ungraded papers in his briefcase that had to be taken care of.

"If you think I need to come talk to Daniel, don't hesitate to call," he told the boy's foster mother.

"I will."

* * *

Jacob uttered a few silent curses. Diane Underwood had just called and told him what happened with Daniel, asking if they could bring Sam over to see if she could cheer the boy up. The captain had told the woman that they'd bring her as soon as possible.

"What's wrong?" Laura asked when she saw her husband's expression. He told her the news. "Oh, no. What a way to find out."

"Yeah. Quentin and Diane think that Sam might be able to cheer Daniel up. I'm going to take her over there."

"Good idea."

Jacob went into his daughter's room and told her about Daniel.

"He could really use some cheering up, Sammie," he said, "and we can't think of anyone better for that than you."

"Can we go there now?" Sam asked, anxious to be there for her best friend.

Jacob smiled. "We sure can. Go get your coat."

Several minutes later, Jacob and Sam were at the Underwoods.

"Thank you for coming," Diane said. "Daniel's been in his room since he came home."

Jacob looked down at his daughter. "Go on in there, Sam. We'll stay out here. Oh, and Sam? I think it would be best if you didn't tell Daniel that you already knew he was going to be transferred out of Mister Greer's class. It might hurt his feelings if he was aware that you kept that knowledge from him."

Sam went to Daniel's room. She knocked on the door. Receiving a quiet call to enter, she went in. Daniel was sitting on his bed, holding the book on ancient Egypt. He wasn't crying, but he looked very sad.

"Hi," Sam said. She walked up to the bed. "I heard about you being taken out of Mister Greer's class. Daddy told me that you found out by accident."

"Mister Parker was talking to Mister Greer," Daniel told her in a low voice. "Mister Parker was mad at Mister Greer for spending all that time with me."

"He was? But why?"

"Because I'm Mister Greer's student, and it's against the rules."

"Well, that's a really stupid rule." Sam sat on the bed. "I'm sorry that you aren't going to be in Mister Greer's class anymore. Are you really sad?"

Not looking at her, Daniel nodded slightly. "It's because I'm too smart. They're going to put me in the fourth grade. I don't want to be in the fourth grade. I want to stay in Mister Greer's class."

Sam fell silent, not knowing what to say. A moment later, though, words came blurting out of her mouth. "What if we could be in the fourth grade together?"

Daniel's head lifted, and he gazed at her. "In the same class?"

Sam nodded. She started to get excited. "Then we could study together sometimes. You could help me with history, and I could help you with math and science, like we talked about before. And it wouldn't matter that all the other kids are older than us because we'd be together."

Daniel's eyes brightened a bit. "It wouldn't be so bad if you were there, too. That would be nice." The brightness dimmed. "But you're in the third grade. What if they won't let you go into fourth?"

"Sure they will! Third grade is too easy for me. Fourth grade will be much better." Sam grabbed Daniel's hand and pulled him off the bed. "Come on! Let's talk to my dad."

The two children went into the living room, where Jacob and Diane were sitting. Sam pulled Daniel over to her father.

"We got it all fixed."

Jacob blinked in surprise. "You do?"

"Uh huh. I'm going into fourth grade with Daniel, like we—" Sam stopped herself before saying, "like we talked about before," knowing that would lead to questions from Daniel. "Then Daniel won't feel so bad about leaving Mister Greer's class, and I won't be bored in school anymore. It'll be perfect!"

"Oh, Sam. You should have talked to me and your mother first before you made that suggestion to Daniel. Having you transferred into fourth grade isn't that simple. There's no guarantee that the school will allow it."

Jacob watched Daniel's shoulders slump and head bow, and it made him feel like a first class jerk. He'd just dashed the little bit of happiness that Sam had brought back to the boy. So, what was he going to do about it?

"Okay, I can't make any promises, Sam, but your mother and I will talk about this tonight. If it's what you really want, we'll discuss it with the school."

Sam threw her arms around her father's neck. "Thank you, Daddy."

That evening, Jacob and Laura talked for a solid hour about the pros and cons of having their daughter go into the fourth grade a full semester earlier than planned. Then they sat Sam down and talked to her about it, trying to make her understand all the ramifications of such a decision.

"If you go into fourth grade now, it means that you'll be in fifth grade the following semester," Laura pointed out. "Are you prepared for that? That's only a single semester in fourth grade. If you don't do well in some of the subjects, it's going to be pretty hard for you once you go onto fifth. If you don't do well this coming semester in fourth, it's possible that the school will hold you back, keep you from advancing to fifth after summer vacation, but there's no guarantee on that."

"I get really good grades on math and science," Sam responded, "and I do pretty good in spelling and English. I'm not really good in history, but Daniel is going to help me."

Jacob looked straight at his daughter. "And what if I get transferred again, Sam? We all hope that doesn't happen, but it could. If that happens, you're not going to have Daniel with you in class or helping you with history."

Sam's gaze dropped to her lap. She didn't like thinking about having to move and never seeing Daniel again. It made her want to cry.

Jacob noted his daughter's expression. "You need to decide if you're willing to take that chance, Sam, because, once this is done, there's no going back. You can't be sent back a grade even if we move."

Jacob and Laura watched as their daughter sat in silent thought, waiting to see what she'd decide. At last, she lifted her head and looked at them.

"I still want to do it," she declared firmly.

Her parents exchanged a glance.

Jacob nodded. "All right, then. We'll talk to the school on Monday."

* * *

Monday was slow in coming for both Sam and Daniel. Sam had called her friend and told him that her mom and dad were going to be talking to the school about moving her to fourth grade. Throughout the weekend, the boy tried not to get his hopes up in case the school said no, but he couldn't help but think about what it would be like if he was in the same class as Sam. It would be really nice.

Even though Daniel was excited about being in the same class as his best friend, he was still sad about leaving Mister Greer's class. He liked his teacher a lot and was really going to miss him. Did this mean that he'd never get to read the books in Mister Greer's library? He'd probably never see Mrs. Greer again. That thought made him even sadder. He really liked her, too.

It was late Sunday afternoon when Daniel received a surprise visit from Quentin and Kathleen.

"Hey, there," the teacher greeted with a gentle smile. "How are you doing today?"

"Okay," Daniel mumbled.

"That didn't sound very convincing to me," Kathleen said. She turned to her husband. "Did it to you?"

"No, I can't say that it did." Quentin sat on one side of Daniel as Kathleen settled on the other side. "Your foster mother told us that Sam might be joining you in the fourth grade. I bet you're excited about that."

Daniel simply nodded, not looking all that excited. Quentin and Kathleen shared a look over his head. The man then lifted Daniel's chin. "So, why are you still sad?"

Daniel's eyes refused to meet his. "Because I'm going to miss you, and I'll probably never get to read the books in your library, and I'll never see Mrs. Greer again."

Identical lumps formed in Quentin's and Kathleen's throats.

"Who said that you'd never get to read my library or see Kathleen again?" Quentin asked.

"I-I thought that because I wasn't going to be your student anymore that I wouldn't ever go back to your house."

"Well, you can get that thought right out of your head, Daniel. Just because you'll no longer be my student doesn't mean that I'll be taking back the invitation to read my books. I promised that you could, and I always do my very best to keep my promises. And as for missing me, you'll still be seeing me at school. I'll make a special point of coming to say hi to you from time to time."

Daniel gazed up at him, surprised. "You will?"

"You bet I will." Quentin grinned. "Remember? I'm your number one fan."

Slowly, Daniel leaned into Quentin, his little head coming to rest on the man's chest. Quentin pulled him close.

"Everything is going to be all right, Daniel," the teacher said. "You'll see."

* * *

It was no surprise to Jacob and Laura that, upon approaching the principal about transferring Sam to the fourth grade, they were told that she would have to undergo the same tests that Daniel did several weeks ago. An appointment was set up for Wednesday.

The next day was Tuesday, and Daniel had a hard time concentrating at school. At four o'clock he'd be taken to the psychologist, and he was filled with dread every time he thought about it, which was just about all he could do from the moment he awoke that morning.

Knowing what today was, Quentin completely understood Daniel's distracted state. He'd probably feel the same way if he was in the boy's shoes.

As class ended and the kids began herding out of the room, the teacher called Daniel over.

"So, your appointment is today."

Daniel's head ducked. "Yeah."

"I understand why you're nervous about it. I would be, too, if I was you." Quentin caught the child's gaze. "But you are a very brave boy, Daniel, and I know that you're going to be all right. I know that it doesn't seem like it to you, but this appointment is a good thing. The doctor will be able to help you with things, maybe get rid of those nightmares of yours. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Daniel nodded.

"Then think of the positives, not the negatives. That's my philosophy." Quentin patted Daniel's shoulder. "So, you go on and see that doctor and let him help you. Okay?"

"Okay," Daniel said, though he still wasn't completely convinced that this really was a good thing.

"Can I give you a little advice?"

Daniel nodded.

"He's probably going to ask some pretty tough questions, things you really don't want to talk about, maybe even things you'd rather he not know. But you need to be honest, Daniel, and not hide things from him, because doing so will just make it harder for him to help you. So, just tell the truth and don't hide things that he needs to know. All right?"

Daniel nodded again, more slowly this time.

Time passed far too quickly for Daniel, and, before he knew it, he was sitting with his foster mother in the waiting room of Doctor Joseph Pine. Irrationally, Daniel was hoping that there would be a fire or some other catastrophe that would delay his appointment for many weeks or even months. Unfortunately, no flames appeared, and, after a wait of only fifteen minutes, he and Diane were called into the office.

Doctor Pine was a sixty-something man with thinning grey hair and pale blue eyes, eyes that immediately went to Daniel as he and his foster mother entered the room.

The man stood and came around his desk to shake Diane's hand. "Mrs. Underwood." He looked down at Daniel. "And this must be Daniel. It's a pleasure to meet you, my boy. Let's all go over to the couch."

As Daniel and Diane settled on the sofa, the psychologist took a seat in the chair across from it. He smiled at Daniel kindly.

"I should imagine that you're pretty nervous, Daniel. I also understand that talking about your parents and what happened to them would be very hard. So, I want you to know right off that, if at any point, you feel that you can't say any more, we'll stop and continue another day. All right?"

Surprised by the statement, Daniel nodded.

"Okay. Are you ready to begin?"

"I guess so."

"I understand that you're having a lot of nightmares. Can you describe them to me?"

Daniel's gaze instantly dropped to his lap. "They're . . . they're about the coverstone falling."

"About when your parents died."

The boy nodded.

"When you have them, do you know that you're dreaming or is it like it's really happening?"

"It's like it's really happening."

"And those flashbacks you had. Are they like it's really happening, too?"

Daniel gave another nod. "Except it's a lot worse."

"How many flashbacks have you had, Daniel?"

"Three."

"None since that one you had in the park?"

The child's head shook.

Doctor Pine jotted something in his notes. "That's good. I'm glad to hear it. Are you having fewer nightmares now?"

"Yeah."

"That's good, too. I'm sure that, in time, they'll go away completely." The doctor studied his patient, who hadn't looked at him since the session began. "Daniel, I do understand how you must feel about what happened. Losing both your parents is a terrible thing." He watched as the child began hugging himself, a pose of insecurity and emotional distress. Recognizing the need to tread carefully, the doctor continued. "I know how much you wish it never happened, how very much you miss them. Perhaps you even sometimes wish that you died with them. Do you ever wish that, Daniel?"

Daniel didn't want to answer the question. He didn't want anyone to know about the thoughts he'd had. But he remembered what Mister Greer had said, that he needed to be honest and not hide things.

Quite a few seconds had passed before Daniel gave the therapist the tiniest of nods. Sighing internally, Doctor Pine made note of it. It certainly was not the first time he'd treated a child who had the desire to join a dead parent, and it wouldn't be the last. It was the next question that was the most important one. Normally, he might wait for another session to ask it, but he needed to get an accurate picture today of how much therapy this boy would need.

"Daniel, I want you to be honest with me. Have you ever thought about hurting yourself?"

"No."

"Not even a little bit?"

"No."

"That's good. You got quite sick with pneumonia a while ago. When you were so sick, did you wish that you'd die so that you could be with your parents?"

The long pause that followed concerned the doctor.

"I . . . I didn't really wish it, but. . . ." the boy began hesitantly.

"But what?" Joseph probed gently.

"But I thought that, if I _did_ die, it would be okay if it meant that I'd be with them."

The doctor saw an expression of horror and dismay fill the face of the boy's foster mother.

"The thought of dying didn't frighten you?" Doctor Pine asked.

The boy shook his head.

"Daniel, do you think that your parents would want you to die so that you could be with them?"

This time, Daniel didn't answer at all.

"Can you answer me?" the doctor asked gently.

After another long moment, the child finally spoke. "I don't know," he whispered.

"You do know that they loved you, don't you?"

Daniel began crying. He nodded and tucked his head closer to his chest, his arms tightening about himself.

"They always tried to protect you from harm, didn't they. Whenever you got hurt or sick, they worried about you. Don't you think that, if they could talk to you right now, they'd tell you that they'd never want to see something terrible happen to you?"

Daniel was crying in earnest now. He abruptly turned away, hiding his face against Diane. She drew him close, making comforting sounds.

Seeing that the boy had reached his limit for the day, Joseph made another note in Daniel's file.

"Okay, I think that's enough for today," he said. "We'll talk again in a few days, all right?" He turned his attention to Diane. "I believe that I have a spot available Friday afternoon. Would that work?"

"Yes. I'll make sure I can arrange things." Diane looked down at Daniel. "Come on, honey. We're going home now."

Wiping his face and keeping his head very low, Daniel left the office with his foster mother. She stopped at the desk of the receptionist and got a card with the time and day of the appointment written on it.

In his office, Doctor Pine called Lucy Merrick and briefed her on the session.

"Though I don't think that Daniel is suicidal or self-destructive, I am concerned about his attitude about death and his admittance that he has occasionally wished that he'd died with his parents."

"So, you're recommending that he continue the therapy?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, absolutely. I've already scheduled his next session for Friday. Is there going to be a problem?"

"No, not at all. The state will cover all your expenses. All that matters is that Daniel gets the help he needs."

* * *

Daniel didn't want to come to dinner that evening, and Diane didn't push. When she brought a tray in later with a little something for him to eat, she found him asleep on the top of the bedcovers, the book that had belonged to his parents clutched in his arms, the wetness of tears still on his face. The sight nearly broke Diane's heart.

Carefully, she withdrew the book and set it on the desk. She took Daniel's shoes off and managed to get him under the covers, placing a soft kiss on his brow.

In the kitchen, she placed a call to the Carters. Jacob answered.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"All right at first, but Daniel got very upset, and the doctor halted the session early. I . . . I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you what Daniel said, but . . . but it was just so upsetting hearing some of the things he said. No child should ever feel that way. It's just so horribly wrong."

Worried, Jacob wanted to ask what Diane was talking about, but he knew that Daniel's therapy sessions were confidential, and he didn't have the right to ask.

"Is he going to continue with the therapy?" he asked.

"Yes, I believe so. He has another appointment on Friday."

"So soon?" Jacob's concern went up another notch.

"I think the doctor was pretty concerned."

"How's Daniel doing now?"

"He cried himself to sleep."

Jacob's heart ached for the boy. He wished that there was something he could do.

"He'll be in our prayers," he said. "If he needs anything, anything at all, please call."

"Thank you, Captain Carter. I'm so glad that Daniel has people like you and your family to give him love. He really does need it." 


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The next day at school, Daniel tried to pretend that everything was fine, but he wasn't a good enough actor to fool his teacher, who noted his quietness in class. Sam, too, could tell that Daniel's mood was low. She figured that it was because of the appointment with the psychologist and tried to cheer him up as best as she could.

"I'm going to be taking the special tests today," she said. "I bet I'll do really good. Then I'll be able to go into the fourth grade with you."

Kenny, who was sitting across from them, looked at Daniel. "You're going into the fourth grade?"

"Yeah. After Christmas vacation."

Sadness filled the dark-haired boy's face. He stared down at his meal. "That means you won't be in the same class as me anymore."

Surprised by the reaction, Daniel stared at the boy. It had never occurred to him that Kenny or any of the other kids in his class would be unhappy about him leaving.

"No, but we can still have lunch together," he said, "and I can still help you with your reading like I promised to."

Kenny looked at him. "You can?"

"Sure. It's not like I'm changing to another school."

Kenny's head ducked shyly. "Then . . . then we're still going to be friends?" His eyes flickered upward to look at Daniel.

Daniel nodded. "We're still going to be friends."

A small smile graced the smaller boy's lips. "I'm glad."

Daniel looked at Sam to see how she was reacting. He was still a little worried about her getting jealous. But she didn't look jealous at all. In fact, she was smiling.

"I'll still be your friend, too, Kenny," she said, which made the boy blush and smile even more shyly.

For some reason, Daniel felt better the rest of the day at school. Maybe it was because it had felt good putting that smile on Kenny's face. The boy so seldom smiled. The only time he seemed happy was when he talked about music. He had a violin, which his mother had started teaching him how to play, and he was now trying to teach himself. But he did it in secret because his father thought that music was a waste of time. Daniel had asked if Kenny would play for him someday, but the boy hadn't agreed to yet.

Unlike Daniel, the remainder of Sam's day at school was not so pleasant. Despite her confident declaration, she was worried about the tests. She had no idea what would be in them and was afraid that they would have a lot of history stuff. She really, really wanted to do well so that the school would say she could go into the fourth grade with Daniel. She didn't know what she was going to do if she didn't pass.

* * *

Jacob had arranged to get off duty early so that he could be there with his wife and daughter when the tests were given. Sam was waiting for him and Laura outside the principal's office. He could tell that she was nervous.

"Hey. What are you nervous about?" he asked, giving her a one-armed hug. "You're a genius. Remember?" He tweaked her nose. "You'll ace those tests."

They were called into the office a couple of minutes later. Unlike when Daniel took the tests, there would be someone in the room with Sam, and they would be asking questions that required a verbal answer.

Before Sam went in the room, she got a hug from her parents and lots of words of encouragement. Once the door shut, hiding their daughter from view, Laura and Jacob returned to the bench outside the office.

After Sam's test was completed, they took her to a restaurant for some pie while they waited for the tests to be scored.

When they returned to the school, Jacob and Laura told Sam to wait for them on the bench. She wasn't happy about it, but didn't voice her objections.

In the principal's office, Sam's parents got the results of the tests. It was no surprise to them that their daughter's scores in math and science were extremely high. She'd done well in the areas of reading and writing, too, history and some other areas of social studies being the only things with which she'd had real trouble. It was also now official that their daughter was, indeed, a genius. The I.Q. test had proved it.

"So, what does this mean?" Laura asked Mister Parker.

"It means that, in the areas of math and science, Sam could easily go into the sixth grade and continue getting A's, but English and spelling might be a bit tough for her in that grade, and history would probably be too challenging. With some extra help in history, fifth grade would be the better choice."

"We don't want her in fifth grade," Jacob said. "We want her in fourth grade."

"Well, based on these tests, your daughter should already be in fourth grade, so I see nothing against moving her up this coming semester."

Jacob and Laura relaxed. Sam was going to be delighted.

"That's great news," Jacob said. "There is one thing, though. We want Sam to be in the same class as Daniel Jackson."

The principal shook his head. "I don't know if that will be possible. We like to have the number of students in a particular grade divided evenly between the two classes. Mrs. Mason is already going to be gaining one student when Daniel comes into her class."

"I'm sorry, but we have to insist on this. It was Sam who requested that she be bumped up to the fourth grade. The only reason she did was so that she could be in the same class as Daniel. I'm not going to tell my daughter that she can be in the fourth grade but not in the same class as her best friend."

"Is the number of students in the two fourth grade classes exactly the same now?" Laura asked.

Mister Parker consulted some papers. "Mrs. Pembrook presently has one more student than Mrs. Mason."

"Okay, then if you add both Daniel and Sam to Mrs. Mason's class, then it'll be she who has one more student than Mrs. Pembrook," Jacob said. "I don't see a problem there."

Ted Parker nodded. "I guess I can't argue with that. All right. Your daughter will be placed in Mrs. Mason's class along with Daniel Jackson. In one way, that might work out better. Both Samantha and Daniel are going to need to be given some advanced schoolwork. Having them in the same class will mean that can be taken care of by one teacher. And, since the two of them are close friends, I should imagine that they could help each other out a bit in the weaker areas."

Jacob smiled. "Actually, I think they've already got that all planned."

Sam was fidgeting nervously as her parents came out of the office. She popped off the bench and ran up to them.

"Did I make it?"

They smiled brightly.

"Of course you did, kiddo," Jacob replied.

"Yippee!" Sam began dancing about. "I can be in the same class as Daniel, right?"

"Yes, we have it all arranged. You'll both be in Mrs. Mason's class."

"Yay! I can't wait to call Daniel and tell him."

Sam was the first one through the door when they got home and headed straight to the phone. Daniel reacted joyfully to the news. Having Sam there with him would make the fourth grade not so bad.

Quentin was glad to see Daniel looking happier the next day. He asked the boy about it and was told the good news about Sam.

"That's wonderful, Daniel. I bet you're excited about being in the same class as her."

"Yeah, but I still wish that I could stay in your class, Mister Greer."

Quentin smiled and stroked Daniel's hair. "Me too."

"Our teacher is going to be Mrs. Mason. What's she like?"

"Mrs. Mason is a very good teacher and a nice lady. I'm sure that you'll like her."

Daniel didn't think that he'd ever like a teacher as much as he liked Mister Greer, but he really did hope that he'd like Mrs. Mason, too.

Mark's reaction to the news that his sister was being moved up to the fourth grade was not what his parents had hoped it would be. It was the first time that Laura and Jacob had seen their son display any kind of resentment toward his sister and her intelligence.

Jacob had a long, private talk with Mark, making sure the boy understood that, although he might not be quite as smart as his sister, he was still a very smart boy who was loved a great deal by his parents.

"Intelligence is a good thing, Mark," Jacob told him, "but you know what is far more important?" He tapped the boy's chest over his heart. "This thing right in here. If I had to choose between a child with a lot of brains and a child with a good heart, I'd take the heart every time. You have a good heart, Mark, and that's what _really_ matters."

* * *

Friday – and his second appointment with Doctor Pine – came far too quickly for Daniel. The second session was even harder than the first, the psychologist asking even more pointed questions, digging deeper into Daniel's feelings about the death of his parents and the problems he was having. The doctor had to call an end to the session when the boy got far too upset to continue. Even so, he believed that they'd made some good progress in helping Daniel cope with what happened. The next session would be on Wednesday, as would every one from then on, the psychologist deciding that it would be easier on Daniel to have just one a week.

Daniel was invited over to the Carters on Saturday. He was quiet and a little withdrawn when he arrived, but Sam and her family weren't going to let him stay that way. They played all kinds of games and other activities, determined to make the boy smile and laugh. They were all happy when they succeeded.

It was late afternoon when something magical happened – or at least it was magical to Daniel. Snow had been threatening for several days, but never quite reached the area, so, when the first flakes began to descend, and Sam spied them out the window, she let out a squeal that startled everyone.

"It's snowing!" she exclaimed, running to the door and flinging it open. Daniel followed her more slowly, eyes fixed upon the gently falling white stuff.

Jacob and Laura smiled as they watched his eyes begin to shine with wonder.

"Come on. Let's get our coats," the captain said.

Everyone went outside and became witness to Daniel's first experience with snow. He stood in the middle of the front yard, face turned to the sky, a look of pure delight on his features as the big flakes powdered his face and body. He began turning a slow circle, arms held out to either side, eyes never leaving the sky. The sight warmed Jacob's and Laura's hearts. Though it would cause all kinds of problems with driving, they hoped that enough snow fell to have some real fun in it.

They got their wish. By the next morning, there was a blanket nearly a foot deep on the ground. Once the roads were cleared by snow plows, Jacob made the drive over to the Underwoods to fetch Daniel for a good old-fashioned snowball fight.

Some would think that a child who'd never been in a snowball fight before wouldn't have very good aim. Anyone thinking that would have been wrong when it came to Daniel. Quite rapidly the boy picked up the fine art of snowball throwing and used it ruthlessly against every member of the Carter family. But then, it's not like they were going easy on him either.

During a break in the battle, as they all warmed up with hot chocolate, Daniel mentioned that it would be cool if Mister and Mrs. Greer were there, too. Jacob called them, and they immediately accepted the invitation.

Quentin walked up to Jacob as the captain scooped up a handful of snow and began forming it into a ball.

"So, how's Daniel enjoying his first snowfall?" the teacher asked.

"He's been having a great time. Oh, and I should warn you that—"

The warning was interrupted by a snowball hitting Quentin on the side of the head. Taken totally by surprise, he spun around to see Daniel grinning like an idiot and Sam laughing herself silly.

"The kid's got a killer arm," Jacob finished saying with a laugh.

Quentin brushed snow out of his collar. "Hmm. Is that so?" He bent down, gathered up a heaping handful of snow and began forming a ball. "Well, as it so happens . . ." with surprising speed, he launched the snowball right at Daniel, hitting the boy in the chest, "I've got a pretty good arm, too."

All-out war was declared soon after that. By the time it ended, even the kids were tired, and everyone was more than ready for the warm fire waiting for them in the fireplace. Sam got the brilliant idea of roasting marshmallows, then Mark expanded it further to the making of s'mores. The warm, gooey treat was like ambrosia to Daniel, who ate way more than he probably should have.

It was a wonderful day, and everyone hated to see it end. Quentin and Kathleen were invited to stay for dinner and graciously accepted, though Kathleen insisted upon helping in the kitchen.

As the two women busied themselves with the food preparation, they chatted about this and that, the topic eventually going to Daniel and Sam and the fact that they'd be classmates.

"The principal told us that Sam's skills with math and science were high enough for the sixth grade," Laura said.

"Isn't that what they said about Daniel's skills in reading, writing and history?"

Laura nodded. "They each have their own strengths and weaknesses. Ironically, it's the subjects that Daniel's strongest in that Sam is weakest in and vice versa. They plan on helping each other out in that way."

Kathleen laughed. "And then they'll both be geniuses in _every_ subject."

Laura smiled. "You're probably right." She studied the wife of Daniel's teacher. "We found out from Sam that Quentin was reprimanded for the personal time he spent with Daniel."

"Yes, and he was pretty steamed about it."

"He's not going to get into trouble about it, is he?"

"No, I don't think so, although if Ted Parker ever says anything about it again, Quentin will probably tell him to go jump in a lake. Did you hear about what happened when Daniel overheard that conversation?"

"No. What?"

Kathleen told Laura about Daniel missing his bus and the panicked minutes spent trying to find him.

"Boy, I'm sure glad no one called us while he was missing," Laura said. "I'd have freaked out."

Kathleen nodded. "Me too. I know that it put a scare into Quentin even though he's not the type to assume the worst. I'm just glad that Daniel was found quickly."

Everyone enjoyed the meal and the conversation. After dinner was done and the dishes cleared, Quentin and Kathleen bid the Carters good night. They'd be dropping Daniel off at his place on the way home.

The boy gave hugs to Jacob and Laura, thanking them for the fun day. The hugs pleased them greatly. It wasn't all that long ago that Daniel wouldn't have demonstrated such shows of affection so openly. He was at last learning how to let himself love and to show his love freely.

"So, did you have a lot of fun?" Diane asked the boy when Quentin dropped him off.

Daniel nodded. "It was great. We had a really big snowball fight. We built forts and everything."

"Wow, that sounds like fun. I wish I could have been there."

"Maybe you can come next time with Susy, Adam and Caleb. I bet they'd have fun, too."

"Yes, perhaps we'll do that." Diane brushed a hand through the boy's hair. "If I'm not mistaken, you still have a wee bit of homework to do. You'd better hurry and go do it. It'll be bedtime soon."

Daniel turned to his teacher. "I'm glad you came and played with us. It was fun."

Quentin grinned. "Indeed it was. Thanks for making the suggestion to call us. It's been years since I was in a good snowball fight."

With a quick goodbye, the boy hurried off to finish his homework.

"Please thank the Carters for having Daniel over," Diane said to Quentin. "He really needs the cheering up. The therapy has been pretty rough on him."

"How is it going?"

"All right, I guess, although, to be honest, it's breaking my heart. That poor little boy was so devastated by his parents' death, and seeing it happen. . . . Well, that made it a hundred times worse."

"Does the doctor think he can help?"

"I haven't asked him. I sure hope he can. It's just not right for a child to be feeling some of those things."

Quentin frowned. "What things?"

"I wish I could tell you, but it wouldn't be proper. Daniel's sessions are supposed to be confidential. I just want him to get better, to be happy."

"We _all_ want that, Mrs. Underwood."

* * *

Since Thanksgiving was coming up soon, Quentin's history assignment to his class on Monday was on the pilgrims.

"Now, I want you to actually study that part of your history books," he said. "Trust me when I say that I'll know if you didn't. There are a lot of myths about the pilgrims and that so-called first Thanksgiving dinner, so any papers that rehash all that nonsense won't get a good grade."

Thinking about the pilgrims and what he knew about them, Daniel quickly decided what his report was going to focus on and got to work on it as soon as he got home that day.

Daniel's session on Wednesday with Doctor Pine was a little easier, and he managed to make it all the way to the end without becoming so upset that he couldn't continue. The doctor considered the session to be a great success and told Lucy so.

"Then it is helping?" she asked.

"I believe so. It's still very hard for Daniel to talk about the events surrounding his parents' death, but he is trying. In time, it'll get easier for him."

Thursday marked the beginning of Daniel's attempts to help Kenny with his reading and writing. He'd talked to Sam about it ahead of time, making sure it was okay with her for him to spend the lunch break focused totally on the task. She'd told him it was fine, although, secretly, she was going to miss having lunch with him. But it was really nice of him to be helping Kenny like this, so she didn't mind so much.

To avoid any jeers from other kids, Daniel and Kenny found a private place to eat their lunch and have the lesson. Kenny was terribly embarrassed about his writing skills, and it took a while for him to loosen up enough to write things down in front of Daniel. Daniel made note of the kinds of mistakes that his friend was making and gently corrected the errors, explaining everything as he went along.

"Mister Greer wanted me to stay after class sometimes so that he could help me with my reading and writing, but my dad said no," the dark-haired boy said.

"How come? Doesn't he want you to get better?"

Kenny shrugged. "I asked him why," his head dipped, eyes shifting away, "but he got mad." His gaze darted up, meeting Daniel's for a moment. "This way is better. Then I can learn to read better, and I don't have to stay after class. My dad won't get mad, and he won't—" he broke off abruptly.

"And he won't what?" Daniel asked.

The boy's head was down again. "He just won't get mad. That's all."

* * *

The kids turned their history assignments into Quentin Friday morning, and he spent his lunch break grading them. He wasn't the least bit surprised that the topics covered by most of the reports were the voyage to America, the story of the pilgrims and Native Americans, and the legendary first Thanksgiving, which never really happened the way it was always portrayed. In spite of Quentin's warning, it was clear that some of the kids did not read the chapters in their books that they were supposed to and just put down things that they thought were true. In fact, one paper sounded suspiciously like a recounting of a movie about the Mayflower crossing that the teacher had seen years ago.

And then there was Daniel's report. Not a single turkey or Indian was mention in it. Instead, he wrote about why the pilgrims made that dangerous journey across thousands of miles of ocean. It was a poignant account of a people fighting for religious freedom, the fears and dangers they lived with, the mistakes they made, and the sacrifices they had to make. The report didn't pull any punches, didn't romanticize what happened. It told it like it was. That it came from an eight-year-old was both amazing and sad. Children that age shouldn't be so aware of the ugliness that went on in the world. But, as a true student of history, Daniel understood what humanity had recorded in the annals of time, both the good and the bad.

After the lunch break, Quentin handed out the graded papers, noting the various smiles and frowns on the faces of his student. He then went to the front of the class, one report still in his hands.

"On Monday, I told you that you actually needed to read your history books for this report," he said. "I know that some of you didn't, and your grade demonstrates what I think of that. Can someone who _did_ read those chapters tell me why it was important to do so?"

A girl raised her hand, and Quentin called on her.

"Because what's in the movies and on TV about the pilgrims isn't all true," she said. "A lot of things didn't happen like that."

Quentin nodded. "Exactly. It wasn't some great adventure where the pilgrims made friends with the Indians and lived happy and free in their new home in America. The pilgrims came here because they felt that they had no other choice. It wasn't easy for them. They had to leave behind family and friends. Many died on the journey. Many others died after they got here." He looked down at the sheets of paper in his hands. "I'd like to read something to you. It's Daniel's report. Instead of writing about the voyage to America or the adventures after the pilgrims arrived here, he wrote about what happened before, why they chose to leave their homes. I think it's important for you to hear it so that you truly understand who those people were."

Glancing at Daniel and seeing that the boy was blushing in embarrassment, Quentin began to read. Upon finishing it several minutes later, he looked to see the reaction of his class. Some of the kids looked a little upset, others were surprised, still others wore an expression of interest. And then the questions started coming. Quentin answered them all, delighted that the kids were interested enough to ask them.

It wasn't until class was over that the teacher gave Daniel his graded report. The boy looked at the A+ written on it and the positive comments made below.

"I didn't know if you'd like it," he admitted. "I thought about making it sound happier, but they weren't really very happy."

"No, they weren't. It was a hard time for them, and pretty dangerous, too, especially for some of them. I'm glad you wrote it like you did, Daniel. It was honest and forthright."

"Forthright?"

"That means that it was direct and told it like it was. A real historian has to always tell it like it is, no matter how bad the truth may be."

Daniel nodded. "That's what my mom and dad used to say. They said that, if you know something is true, you should say so, even if nobody wants to believe you."

"Those are wise words to live by." Quentin glanced at his watch. "Well, you'd better run along. You wouldn't want to miss your bus again." He suddenly got an idea. "Say, how'd you like to come to my house tomorrow and finally get a chance to dig into that library of mine?"

Daniel's eyes brightened dramatically. "Could I? That would be great!" The smile dimmed. "But won't you get into trouble? Mister Parker said—"

"Don't you worry about Mister Parker, Daniel," Quentin interrupted. "I'm not going to get into trouble. I promise. So, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

The smile was back on Daniel's face. "Okay."

* * *

Laura knew that something was wrong the moment she saw the expression on her son's face when he got home from school. There was also the fact that he immediately stomped off to his room without a single word to her.

She gave him fifteen minutes to cool off, then went to talk to him.

"Okay, so what's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," Mark grumbled, not looking at her.

"So, you just decided that today would be a good day to be grouchy?"

"The guys laughed at me!" he blurted out.

"What guys?"

"At school. Everyone knows that Sam's going to be only a grade below me, and some of them are saying that she'll probably be in the same grade as me next fall and then go higher than me after that. They asked what it was like to have a baby sister that's a lot smarter than me."

Laura sighed. This was something that neither she nor Jacob had thought about, what impact this might have on Mark's situation at school. Kids could be so cruel sometimes.

"They aren't right, are they?" Mark asked. "Sam won't be in the same grade as me after summer vacation, will she?"

Laura hesitated, not knowing what to say. If they followed the principal's advice, Sam would, indeed, be in sixth grade, the same grade as Mark.

Mark saw the look on her face. "She is, isn't she." He jumped to his feet. "Then I don't want to go to the same school as her anymore!"

"We don't know for sure, Mark. Our plan is for her to go into fifth, but the principal thinks she should be placed in sixth, if she does well this coming semester. But, either way, we can't put you in a different school. Besides, that would mean that you probably wouldn't see a lot of your friends anymore."

"I don't care. That would be better than everyone saying that I'm dumber than my little sister. Why does she have to be so smart? It's not fair!"

Laura gave another sigh. Clearly, Jacob's talk with their son hadn't been enough. But then, was that any surprise considering what was happening?

"I can't tell you why Sam is as smart as she is, Mark. Sometimes, it just works out that way. But she isn't smarter in every subject."

"She isn't?"

"No. You like history, don't you?"

Mark nodded. "Especially American history."

Laura nodded. "You always get A's on your history tests. Well, Sam doesn't do as well in history. In fact, if she _is_ put in sixth grade next fall, she might need some help with it." She paused. "Perhaps _you_ could help her."

Mark frowned. "I don't know if I'd want to."

"Well, you'll have plenty of time to think about it."

Mark chewed his lip, his expression now thoughtful. "Then I'd sort of be her tutor?"

"Well, in a way. Of course, we'd have to ask Sam if that would be all right with her. It might be kind of embarrassing for her to have her brother helping her. I'm sure you'd understand that."

Mark nodded, knowing that it would be really embarrassing if the situation was reversed.

"We all have our strengths and weakness, Mark. There are so many things that you're good at, like sports." Laura smiled. "And you know how Sam is about sports."

"She hates them."

"She doesn't _hate_ them, she just doesn't want to play them."

"She'd rather study. She doesn't do as much fun stuff at school as I do. I like PE, and she doesn't. I like to go out and play ball with my friends, but she doesn't do stuff like that."

Mark went on to list all the other great things he did that Sam didn't, Laura remaining silent throughout it all since this was exactly what she wanted. By the time he was done, Mark had decided that his life was way more fun than Sam's.

"I'd rather have more fun that be smarter," he concluded.

"Having fun is definitely important, but so is an education. That old saying about all work and no play may be true, but all play and no work won't get you anywhere in life. Like with everything, there has to be a balance." Laura studied her son's expression. "So, are you feeling better?"

"I guess."

She gave him a kiss on the head. "Good." She got to her feet. "If you keep getting teased, please feel that you can come to us about it, Mark. That's what parents are for."

Laura went out into the living room only to find another unhappy child sitting on the couch. She sat down beside her daughter.

"What's wrong, honey?" she asked, brushing Sam's hair from her face.

"I heard Mark say that he's getting teased because of me. I didn't know that he'd get teased if I went into the fourth grade."

"I know, sweetheart. None of us thought of that."

Sam's gaze fell to her lap. "He's really mad at me, isn't he."

"No, Sam. He was very upset, but he's not mad at you. So, how much of that did you overhear?"

"I heard him talking about the guys teasing him because I'm smarter, and. . . ."

"And what?"

Sam's chin dipped lower. "And I heard him yell that he doesn't want to be in the same school as me anymore," she whispered, her lips trembling.

Laura pulled her into a hug. "Oh, honey. He was just angry about the teasing. You know how mean kids can be. You've been teased, too."

Sam nodded. "About being smart."

"Yes. So you can understand how he was feeling. But I had a long talk with him, and he's feeling better now."

"He's not going to go to a different school?"

"No, he's not going to a different school."

It was around an hour later that Sam timidly knocked on Mark's door. Upon hearing him say, "Come in," she entered. Mark frowned slightly when he saw that it was her.

"I . . . I heard what you said about being teased," she murmured, not looking at him. "I'm sorry they teased you. Teasing is mean. I get teased a lot, too."

"You do? About what?"

"About being smart and liking studying. I'm not like all the other girls, so a lot of them tease me and say mean things. I . . . I don't have very many friends because I'm different."

Mark stared at his sister in surprise. He'd never realized that it was like that for Sam. He'd thought that she wanted her life at school to be like it was. He'd been so upset about the fact that she was smarter and how it was affecting him, but he hadn't considered how being smarter could negatively affect _her_.

"They're just jealous," he declared, surprising even himself. Why did he feel like he wanted to make her feel better? "I bet they all wish that they were as smart as you."

Sam lifted her head to look at him. "You think so?"

"Sure." He lifted his head higher, feeling all grown up all at once. "Teasing is stupid," he declared. "_They're_ stupid. You should just ignore them."

Sam gazed at him closely. "Are you going to ignore the guys who are teasing you?"

Mark nodded. "Yeah. They're just dumb."

Sam smiled. "Yeah, they're dumb."

"But _we're_ not."

Sam's head shook. "We're smart."

Mark grinned. "Yeah."

* * *

That evening, after the kids were in bed, Laura filled Jacob in on the situation with Mark.

"Damn," he cursed. "I didn't consider that he might get teased about this."

"Me neither."

"Do I need to have another talk with him tomorrow?"

A smile grew on Laura's face. "No, I believe I've taken care of it, at least for now."

"Oh? Care to share?"

His wife recounted the entire conversation. Jacob shook his head in amazement once she was finished.

"Laura, I think you should have been a psychologist. It sounds like you had Mark going from being bitter and resentful to being convinced that he has a way better life than Sam, and all in the space of a few minutes." The captain kissed his wife. "You are a wonder."

"Actually, I really didn't say much, except to point out that Mark is better in history than Sam."

"Yes, and I'd like to say that that was brilliant, especially you putting the idea in his head that Sam could possibly benefit for some tutoring by him. It gave him the ego boost he needed, that feeling of superiority that brothers like to have in regards to their younger sisters."

Laura cocked an eyebrow. "Just brothers, Jacob? In my experience, _all_ boys want to believe that they're better than girls. It's a universal ego thing that often remains firmly in place throughout their lives."

Jacob couldn't deny what she was saying. "Yes, well, those of us who have any _real_ sense realize that we are poor, pathetic creatures compared to the female of the species," he responded teasingly.

Laura leaned forward. "Hmm. I couldn't have said it better myself," she stated before kissing him. 


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

On Saturday morning, Diane couldn't get Daniel to the Greers fast enough. She, Quentin and Kathleen smiled as they watched the boy make a beeline for one of the many shelves and pull down several books. He made himself comfortable in one of the overstuffed chairs and got busy reading.

The adults went into the kitchen.

"I'd say that he'll be busy for quite some time," Quentin remarked with a chuckle.

"Thank you for the invitation," Diane said. "He's been so excited about it. I've never seen a child who loves to read as much as Daniel does."

"Reading is good. Too many kids these days are glued to the TV. I sometimes wish they'd never invented the thing."

Kathleen smiled. "Ah, but then how would you watch your football games, honey?"

Quentin paused. "Well, there is that."

Diane left, the teacher telling her that he'd take Daniel home when the boy was ready to leave.

Since their guest was thoroughly ensconced in the library, both Quentin and Kathleen decided to join him, choosing to leave their chores for another day. Selecting books of their own, they made themselves comfortable.

Throughout the morning, the two adults found themselves occasionally glancing at Daniel to see how he was doing. The boy was usually engrossed in whatever he was reading, unaware of their eyes on him.

Lunch consisted of sandwiches eaten right there in the library, and Kathleen had to prompt Daniel several times to eat since he kept forgetting. She and Quentin exchanged more than one amused glance.

And that's pretty much how the day went. It was not the kind of day that would appeal to the average eight-year-old, but Daniel seemed to be perfectly happy. He'd asked for a pad of paper and wrote something down every once in a while. When Kathleen finally managed to drag the boy away from his books for some cookies and milk, Daniel gave the pad of paper to Quentin. It was a list of words.

"Those are the ones I don't know," the child explained.

The teacher smiled. The list wasn't very long. "Would you like me to tell you what they mean?" He got a nod.

As they ate their cookies, Quentin told Daniel what each word was and gave the definition when necessary.

Daniel ended up staying through dinner. Kathleen put her foot down and insisted that the meal be eaten in the dining room. They shared a nice conversation over their food. Afterwards, though Daniel would have happily stayed longer, Quentin decided that he should probably be taken home.

"Thank you for having me," Daniel said to Kathleen with the upmost politeness.

The woman smiled. "You are very welcome, Daniel. It was a pleasure. I'll be looking forward to your next visit. It's great to have you here."

A moment later, much to Kathleen's surprise, Daniel stepped up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She hugged him back, feeling her heart melt into a gooey puddle inside her chest.

"You're always welcome here, Daniel," she murmured. "Always."

* * *

Being the week of Thanksgiving, it was no surprise that all the kids in school were excited about the holiday and, more importantly, the four days of no school.

Thanksgiving was a big deal in the Carter household, and they were expecting more than one relative to be coming for a visit, including Jacob's sister, Ellen, with her brood of kids and Laura's big brother, Aaron. It was going to be a full house. Even so, they invited Daniel to have Thanksgiving dinner with them. Since the Underwoods usually ate out for Thanksgiving, and nothing special was planned, Diane said it was all right.

School let out early on Wednesday. Saying goodbye to his friends in his class, Daniel went up to his teacher.

"Hey, Daniel," the man said. "You know, Kathleen and I were going to invite you to have Thanksgiving dinner with us, but I understand that you've already got plans."

"I'm going to Sam's house. They have relatives visiting. There will be other kids there."

"Well, that sounds like fun. How about if you come have dinner with us Friday night instead? We'll have lots of leftover turkey, which Kathleen usually puts in this fantastic casserole with mashed potatoes, carrots and peas. I can't get enough of it. And there might just possibly be some pumpkin pie left over, too. So, what do you say?"

"I'd like that, Mister Greer. Thanks."

The usual Thanksgiving routine was for Jacob to get the kids out of the house – and out of Laura's hair – while she worked on the stuff for dinner. That plan was changed by a certain little boy, who was dropped off by Diane at eleven o'clock.

Daniel took a look at all the fixings for dinner covering the counters and said, "It looks like it's a lot of work. Won't it take a long time?"

"Yes," Laura replied. "That's why I get started on it early. The turkey will take several hours to cook, and it needs to be stuffed before I put it in the oven."

"Can I help?"

"Oh, it's very sweet of you to offer, honey, but I manage all right on my own."

"But that's not fair. You shouldn't do all the work all by yourself, not when we're all going to be eating the food."

Laura smiled at the very grown-up and thoughtful comment.

"I want to help," Daniel insisted.

"Are you sure? Jacob's going to take the kids to see a movie."

Daniel nodded. "I can see a movie any time. I never helped make a turkey dinner before. We celebrated Thanksgiving, but we never had turkey. We usually had chicken instead. And we didn't have pumpkin pie, either, or cranberry sauce or any of that other stuff. But I always helped Mom fix the food, or at least once I got big enough to help."

Laura smiled and hugged the boy, amazed at his generosity and selflessness. "Okay. Thank you. It will be lovely to have your help."

Just then, Jacob, Sam and Mark came in.

"Come on, Daniel," the girl said. "If it's open, Daddy's going to take us to lunch at the hot dog place before we go to the movie."

"I'm not going. I'm staying here and helping make the turkey dinner."

Jacob's eyebrows rose. "When was this decision made?"

"Just now," Laura replied. "It was all Daniel's idea. He insisted that it was only right that he help since he's going to be eating the end results."

That made Sam feel guilty. She'd never offered to help her mom make Thanksgiving dinner. She was usually too busy playing or off somewhere with her father and brother.

"Then I'll help, too," she declared. She looked up at her father. "We should _all_ help."

Laura laughed. "As much as four extra pairs of hands would come in handy sometimes, sweetheart, that would be far too many people in the kitchen. We'd just end up getting in each other's way."

Sam pouted, having set her mind on being like a grown-up and helping in the kitchen. "But I want to help."

"All right." Laura looked at her husband. "You and Mark go on and have lunch and see that movie. We three will take care of everything here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. We'll be fine."

"Well, okay." Jacob gave her a kiss. "See you in a few hours."

Daniel and Sam did do their very best to be helpful to Laura, and they did come in handy when it came to beating eggs and mixing things, though, not surprisingly, the counters got a lot messier than they did when Laura was doing it all on her own. But the extra mess was worth it to Laura, who truly enjoyed the hours with the two children. She learned a few more things about Daniel, like the fact that he loved walnuts. He'd been set to the task of measuring out the nuts for one of the dishes Laura was fixing and apparently couldn't resist eating some while he was at it.

"Fresh ones are better," he said. "I like cracking the shells open and taking the meat out."

Sam frowned in confusion. "Meat? There's meat in walnuts?"

Daniel held up a piece of walnut. "This is called the meat, the stuff that's inside the shell."

"Well, we'll have to get some fresh walnuts one of these days," Laura said.

Daniel's expression turned dreamy. "Once a long time ago, I had chocolate walnut cookies. They were really good."

"Hmm. Chocolate walnut cookies, eh? I'll have to look for a recipe."

Considering that her helpers were only eight years old and needed a lot of instructions, they didn't really save Laura all that much time, but she told them that they'd been a big help anyway, which pleased them immensely.

The first guests arrived at four o'clock. Jacob hugged his sister, who returned the embrace lightly.

"Jacob. It's lovely to see you again," Ellen Yarborough said.

"Likewise." Jacob looked down at her three kids. "Hey, guys. Boy, you sure have grown since we saw you last."

"It's been a whole year," responded the oldest, Priscilla, a girl of thirteen. "We're supposed to be bigger."

Ellen frowned at her tone. "Priscilla, mind your manners. You should not talk to your elders that way."

The girl shrugged. "Whatever."

Ellen sighed and looked at her brother. "Teenagers. What can you do?"

At that moment, Daniel, Sam and Laura came out of the kitchen.

"Hello, Ellen," Laura greeted in a slightly restrained tone. She was never all that fond of Jacob's sister, who was a bit stuck up.

"Laura." Ellen's gaze went to Sam. "My, my, Samantha. You're growing into quite a lovely young lady." She then looked at Daniel. "But who is this?"

"He's Daniel," Sam replied. "My best friend."

Ellen's eyebrows rose marginally. "Best friend? Oh, but my dear, a girl's best friend is always another girl. That's just the way it is."

Daniel's gaze fell to the floor at the same time as Sam's lips turned downward in a severe frown. She took Daniel's hand.

"I don't care," she declared defiantly. "Daniel is my best friend, my best friend ever."

Ellen made an airy gesture with her hand. "Whatever you say, dear."

Before things could get any worse, Jacob led his sister to the sofa. He remembered a time when she hadn't been such a snob, before she married into money. She had since divorced, but had walked away with a pretty tidy sum and a monthly alimony check that kept her from having to work. He often wished for a return of the sister who used to climb trees and play baseball with him. This present incarnation would probably be horrified at the thought of playing a game of baseball and possibly breaking a nail.

Seven-year-old Timmy, Ellen's youngest child, looked at Daniel and Sam.

"Is he your boyfriend?" he asked his cousin innocently.

Sam and Daniel's faced flamed.

"Timothy! What a thing to say!" Ellen chastised. "Of course he's not her boyfriend. Young ladies of eight do not have boyfriends. Now, come here and sit with me."

As Timmy walked over to the couch, Ellen's middle child, Olivia, snickered, apparently thinking that her brother's comment was funny.

Just then, Mark came out of his room, and Olivia's entire manner changed.

"Hi, Mark," she said, smiling at him.

Mark frowned at the greeting. "Hi." He wasn't all that thrilled about them being there. Last year, Olivia had followed him around everywhere, refusing to leave him alone. She was the same age as him, but he didn't understand her at all. To be honest, he didn't _want_ to understand her. He just wanted her to leave him alone this Thanksgiving.

The doorbell rang, and Laura went to it rather quickly, knowing who it would be.

A tall man with flaming red hair grinned broadly. "Little sis!" he exclaimed, scooping Laura up in a big hug.

Laura laughed. "Aaron! Put me down!"

"Put you down where, sis?" he asked, pretending not to notice that he'd lifted her clear off the floor. He did put her down, though, only to lift another female up into the air, that female being Sam, who'd come running over to him.

"Hey, little squirt," Aaron said, hugging the girl tightly.

"I'm glad you came, Uncle Aaron," Sam said. "We missed you last year."

"I missed you, too, sweetie pie." He set Sam down.

Jacob came over and shook the man's hand. "Aaron. It's great to see you."

"Jacob. You still watching out for my little sis? That promise I made is still valid, you know."

Jacob smiled. The "promise" was that if Jacob ever hurt Laura, Aaron would beat him to a pulp, which the man could probably do quite easily. He'd been on the boxing _and_ the wrestling teams in college and outweighed the captain by a good fifty pounds.

"I'm doing my best," Jacob replied.

Daniel was standing off to the side, feeling more than a little uncomfortable. Everyone here was family. He was the only one who wasn't. _His_ only family was thousands of miles away in another country and didn't care about having Thanksgiving with him.

The boy was starting to feel pretty down when Sam came over and took his hand. She led him to her uncle.

"Uncle Aaron, this is my best friend, Daniel. He's having Thanksgiving dinner with us."

Aaron smiled down at the boy. "Nice to meet you, Daniel. Any friend of my little squirt is a friend of mine."

They all went into the living room. Aaron's demeanor, which had been open and friendly before, very noticeably chilled upon seeing Ellen.

"Ellen," he said coolly.

"Aaron," she responded with the same tone.

Daniel looked back and forth between them, thinking that no two people could be more different. Ellen was smartly dressed in a tailored pantsuit, her pale blond hair done up perfectly, hands adorned with diamond rings. Aaron, by contrast, was dressed in worn jeans and a sweatshirt, his red hair a bit on the long side and tousled by the wind. The only thing they had in common was that Aaron was also wearing jewelry, a carved amulet that Daniel abruptly recognized.

"That's an Elder Futhark rune!" he exclaimed. "It means 'luck'. It's also the letter 'P'."

Aaron's mouth fell open. "Uhhh . . . you're exactly right. How do you know that?"

Jacob chuckled. "Daniel, you didn't tell us that Elder . . . whatever it is was another language you knew."

"I don't really know how to read it, I just know what all the runes are."

"What's Elder Foothark?" Priscilla asked.

"Futhark," Daniel corrected. "It's probably the oldest version of the Runic alphabet. It was used in the parts of Europe where the Germanic peoples lived, like Scandinavia. All the runes are letters, but they're also symbols for words or phrases."

All the newcomers gaped at Daniel like fish, which the Carters thought was quite amusing. What happened next was _not_ amusing, however.

"What planet are _you_ from?" Priscilla asked.

The comment upset Daniel and made his head drop.

"He's not from another planet," Sam responded angrily. "He's a genius. He can speak six languages, and can read and write a bunch of dead languages, and he knows lots and lots of history and mythology. He's a whole lot smarter than you are."

"Sam, that's enough," Jacob ordered.

"He's not smarter than me," Priscilla declared, lifting her nose in the air. "I'm going to Oxford when I grow up. It's the best school in England."

"So what?" Sam said, even angrier. "How many languages do _you_ know?"

"I don't need to know a bunch of stupid languages to go to Oxford."

"Okay, that's enough," Jacob commanded. "No more fighting. This is supposed to be Thanksgiving."

Daniel's gaze hadn't left the floor. He didn't like that they were fighting because of him, and he was wishing that he hadn't come here for Thanksgiving. He wanted to go home.

Jacob noticed that Daniel was hugging himself and silently cursed. This was not how things were supposed to go. He was starting to wish that his sister and her kids hadn't come.

Aaron noticed the boy's demeanor as well. He squatted before the boy.

"Six languages, eh? Well, that's pretty darn impressive," he said. "I'm kind of into languages, too, but I only know two others besides English."

Daniel lifted his head shyly. "You do? Which ones?"

"French and Mandarin Chinese."

"I know French. I don't know Chinese, but I want to learn it someday."

Aaron smiled. He asked Daniel a question in French, and the boy replied in the same language. They chatted in that tongue for a solid minute. Sam thought it was really neat. She looked over at Priscilla and saw that the teen was frowning. Sam smiled smugly, then stuck her tongue out at the girl. Priscilla flushed and turned away angrily.

The evening was not the most harmonious of Thanksgivings and, at times, was quite challenging to the patience of more than one person. Ellen prattled on about herself and her children, and Aaron made no secret of the fact that the conversation bored him. He pretended to fall asleep more than once, which didn't endear him to Jacob's sister but made Sam and Mark laugh and Daniel smile.

Sadly, Ellen's children appeared to be turning into carbon copies of her, snobbish and self-centered. Olivia seemed to be the best of the three, although poor Mark likely wouldn't agree. Just like last year, the girl was glued to his side, always wanting to sit next to him and go everywhere he did. At one point, his patience finally snapped, and he yelled at her to leave him alone. She ran off crying to her mother.

"Jacob, tell your son to apologize," Ellen said.

Jacob turned to Mark. "Apologize for yelling at Olivia, Mark."

"But she wouldn't leave me alone! She keeps following me all over the place."

Jacob suspected that he knew the reason for the girl's behavior. It seemed pretty obvious that she had a crush on Mark even though he was her cousin. Of course, he wasn't going to let his son know that. That would make things ten times worse.

"Nevertheless, you shouldn't have yelled at her," he said. "Now say you're sorry."

Mark glowered, crossing his arms over is chest. "Sorry," he muttered.

It wasn't a genuine apology, but Jacob figured that it was as good as it was going to get.

Unfortunately, Ellen wasn't satisfied with it. "Well, that's not a proper apology at all. Jacob?"

The captain sighed. "Just leave it be, Ellen. And I think it would be best if Olivia stays away from Mark from now on."

Adopting a disapproving air, Ellen turned away, murmuring soothing comments to her second-born.

"How about some pie, everyone?" Laura asked, hoping to lighten the mood.

The pie was served in the living room, the kids eating theirs while watching TV. The adults took theirs into the dining room to chat.

After the pie was gone, Aaron helped Laura gather the empty plates and take them into the kitchen.

"You know, you could at least try to be civil to Ellen," Laura said to him as she rinsed the dishes.

"She's a stuck up, prissy little bi—" He broke off as Laura raised a warning finger. "If Jacob was anything like her, there's no way I'd have let you marry him."

Laura turned to him with a cocked eyebrow. "Oh? And how would you have stopped me?"

Aaron grinned. "By threatening him with dismemberment if he didn't take a hike, of course."

Laura laughed, shaking her head. "You never change, Aaron."

Aaron grinned charmingly. "No, and you wouldn't want me to. You love me just the way I am."

Laura gave a theatrical sigh. "Too true, although I still wish you wouldn't antagonize Ellen. She's hard enough to deal with as it is sometimes."

"So, why do you invite her?"

"Because she's family, the only family Jacob has left now that his father is gone."

"I was sorry to hear about that. Tom was a good sort." Aaron leaned back against the counter. "So, what's the story with Daniel? The kid's really something else."

"He lost both of his parents a few months ago. They were archeologists and were killed in a terrible accident at a museum in New York."

Aaron stared at her in surprise. "Are you talking about the Jacksons?"

Now, it was Laura's turn to be surprised. "Yes, I am. How did you know?"

"I read about it in the papers. Damn. So, he's their kid?"

"Yes. He's having a very hard time dealing with it. He saw the accident, and it really traumatized him. I witnessed him having a flashback, Aaron. It was one of the most horrible things I've ever seen."

"Jeez. The poor kid. So, is he living with relatives or in foster care?"

"Foster care. His only living relative is his grandfather, who apparently has little interest in him."

"What a tough break. He seems like a good kid, even if he is freaky smart."

"He's a wonderful child. Jacob and I have been trying to help him all we can, give him lots of love. Sam adores him."

"Yes, I noticed how protective she is of him." Aaron grinned. "I was cheering her on when she told off Ellen's brat."

Laura frowned at him. "She shouldn't have said that, Aaron, and you know it. But you're right. She is protective of Daniel. He was very fragile when they first met. He's gotten a lot better since then, but he still has a long way to go."

"Well, with you, Jacob and the little squirt in his corner, I'm sure he'll be right as rain in no time."

When they returned to the living room, the TV had been turned off. Ellen's kids were now on the sofa with her. Jacob was in the recliner, and the other three kids were on the dining room chairs that had been brought into the living room.

"We were just discussing what we were going to do," Jacob said, "perhaps some sort of game."

"Let's play Scrabble," Priscilla piped up.

Ellen smiled at her daughter fondly. "Oh, but you're so smart with words, darling, that the rest of us wouldn't stand a chance."

Looking pleased, the girl turned back to the others, chin in the air. "I'm the spelling bee champ. I can spell _anything_."

The claim irked, Jacob, who was not a fan of people bragging about themselves. That's when an idea came to him.

"You know, perhaps a Scrabble game wouldn't be a bad idea. But let's play it differently than usual. The last one _we_ played allowed people and place names, and it was . . . quite interesting."

The surprised eyes of his wife, his children and Daniel were turned upon him. And then Sam started to smile.

"Yeah, that's a great idea," she said.

Mark picked up on what was going on and also smiled. "Yeah."

Daniel spoke up. "But I thought you said that next time—"

"Yes, I know, Daniel," Jacob interrupted. "We'll play it that way again this one time."

Laura stared at her husband, knowing exactly why he was doing this.

Aaron could sense that something was going on, but didn't ask any questions.

Priscilla was frowning. "Allowing people and place names isn't a proper way to play Scrabble."

"Well, if that would make it too hard for you. . . ." Sam's voice trailed off with a shrug.

Anger sparked in the older girl's eyes. "Nothing's too hard for me."

Jacob smiled. "Well, then let's get the game."

As Jacob got the game and the others moved into the dining room, Aaron pulled his sister aside.

"Okay, what's the story?" he asked in a low voice. "I know that something's going on."

Laura smiled. "All I'll say is that if you don't want to get creamed in Scrabble by an eight-year-old, don't play."

"What?" Aaron's eyes went to Daniel. And then he smiled. "Ahhh. Oh, this is gonna be fun."

Aaron chose not to participate, wanting to devote his entire attention to the show that was about to play out. Mark also didn't play, knowing what the outcome would be. Timmy was too young, Olivia had no interest in the game, and Ellen was not the sort to play Scrabble, so that left Sam, Laura, Jacob, Daniel and Priscilla. Sam was playing with her mother this time, though she didn't entertain the hope that they'd win. In fact, all the Carters were pretty sure they knew what the outcome of this game was going to be.

It soon became apparent that Priscilla was, indeed, very good with words. But then Daniel put down his first place name.

"What's that?" Priscilla asked. "That's not a real word."

"Yes, it is," Daniel responded. "It's the name of a city in ancient Greece."

Hearing that, Aaron suddenly understood why Jacob had said they should allow people and place names. Oh, this really was going to be good.

"Well, I don't think it should be allowed," Priscilla stated. "I've never heard of it."

"Just because you've never heard of it doesn't mean it can't be used," Sam said. "It's a place name, and place names are allowed."

The teenager pouted sourly, but said nothing more. Half an hour later, however, she was no longer remaining silent. In fact, she was really starting to whine. Though she was a very good speller, many of the words she'd learned for the spelling bees were quite large, and she seldom had the right letters to spell them. Daniel, on the other hand, knew unusual words both large and small, some nearly unpronounceable, a few looking like long strings of consonants. Priscilla got madder and madder, not at all happy that she was being beaten by an eight-year-old. When Daniel put down the word "Ajtzak", which, he explained, was one of the thirteen gods who created humans in Mayan mythology – a fact he learned from his grandfather – Priscilla decided that she'd had enough. She jumped up from the table.

"It's not fair!" She turned to her mother. "Mom, it's not fair. He's using all these words that aren't even English."

"I beg to differ," Aaron said. "Ajtzak might be a Mayan name, but it's not the same as spelling something in a foreign language."

"Well, he should only be allowed to use the names of people and places in America."

"That's stupid," Sam responded. "You're just mad because he's beating you."

"Now, you have to admit that the child does have an unfair advantage," Ellen said, displeased by the whole thing. "He has knowledge about locations, mythology and history that the rest of us don't."

Jacob looked at her. "Sorry, Ellen, but aren't you the one who was saying that your daughter had an advantage over the rest of us because of her large vocabulary? I don't see the difference. Daniel is using words he knows, just like Priscilla and the rest of us are using words _we_ know. Okay, so Daniel has an extensive knowledge of cultures and history that we don't. That's just the way it is."

"Well, I don't want to play anymore," Priscilla said, storming off. Her mother went after her.

Daniel was upset about what was happening. When he played with the Carters and beat them, they weren't mad, and they didn't say that it was unfair. Was it unfair? Maybe he should have just used regular words.

Both Laura and Jacob noticed how Daniel was sitting in dejected silence. The captain leaned down.

"Hey. Don't let what Priscilla and her mother said upset you," he murmured. "Priscilla's just a sore loser. You didn't do anything wrong. You played a great game."

"Boy, did he ever!" Aaron agreed, laughing. "I enjoyed every minute of that. You really cleaned her clock, Daniel."

The boy still wasn't happy about how the game turned out. "Can I go home now?"

"But I don't want you to leave," Sam said. "Priscilla's just being a jerk. Please don't leave because of her."

"Sam, if he wants to go home, you need to let him," Jacob told her. He turned back to Daniel. "I'll take you home if that's what you really want."

Daniel looked at Sam, whose eyes were pleading with him to stay.

"Sam's right," Mark said. "You should stay."

There was a moment of silence, then Daniel said, "I . . . I guess I can stay a little while longer."

Sam got out of her chair and gave him a hug.

As it turned out, it was Ellen and her kids who chose to leave, the woman claiming that the children were tired and needed to get to bed.

"So, we'll see you in the morning before you leave for Florida?" Jacob asked. The rest of his sister's holiday was going to be spent on warm, white sand beaches.

"Our flight leaves at 9:30. We could have an early breakfast, I suppose. The hotel has a restaurant."

"All right. I'll call you in the morning."

As much as Jacob hated to admit it, the remainder of the evening was a lot more pleasant without his sister and her kids there. Aaron, who was now quite fascinated with Daniel, asked him about the places he'd been, the cultures he'd seen. The man had done a fair bit of traveling for his job and had been to a few of the same places.

It was well past Daniel's bedtime when Jacob finally took him home. The boy was half-asleep when they arrived. Guiding the dopey child to the door, Jacob placed him into the keeping of his foster mother.

"Did he have fun?" Diane asked after Daniel staggered off to bed.

"Well, let's just say that the night had its ups and downs. Relatives can sometimes be a pain. But we enjoyed having him. Thanks for letting him join us."

* * *

Understandably, Daniel was a little leery of having dinner with the Greers the next day, though he figured that, because it wasn't Thanksgiving dinner, it might be okay. That changed when Kathleen told him that her cousin was in town and would be joining them.

"Actually, he's my second cousin," she explained. "We don't get to see him very often, so it's great that he could come."

"Is he nice?" Daniel asked nervously.

"Nice? Well, yes, I think he's nice. Quentin might have a thing or two to say about him since he tends to be a little irresponsible at times, but he is a good person. I think you'll like him."

Kathleen's words didn't really allay Daniel's misgivings, so he was still nervous when the doorbell rang an hour later. Kathleen was the one to answer it as Daniel watched from just inside the hallway. He couldn't see who was at the door from that location . . . and neither could they see him.

"Hey there, Kitty Kat!" said a cheerful male voice.

"John. How many times have I told you not to call me that?" Kathleen responded in a mild tone of exasperation.

"Oh, about a million times. But you'll always be Kitty Kat to me."

Kathleen hugged the person, then stepped back. "Come on in, you goof."

A tall, lanky man in his early twenties stepped into the house, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. His gaze immediately landed upon Daniel.

"Well, hello there. Who might you be?" he asked with a warm, friendly smile.

"This is Daniel," Kathleen replied. "He's one of Quentin's students. He'll be having dinner with us. Daniel, this is my cousin John."

The man frowned at her. "John? Why do you keep calling me John? You know I hate that name." He strolled over to Daniel and stuck out his hand. "The name's Jack, Jack O'Neill."

Daniel hesitantly shook his hand. "I'm Daniel Jackson."

"Pleased to meet you, Mister Jackson." 


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Daniel had decided that he liked Jack. The man was really funny and played games with him while Kathleen fixed dinner. He didn't act nearly as much like a grown-up as the other adults Daniel had met.

Quentin had gone to the grocery store to get some things his wife needed for the meal. When he got back, he found Daniel and Jack in the midst of a game of chess. Jack was staring down at the board with a frown as the boy watched him. The teacher studied the board and smiled. He knew from Jacob that Danny definitely had skill, and it was not hard to see that Jack was going to have a battle on his hands.

Chuckling on the inside, Quentin went into the kitchen with the grocery bags.

"How's it going out there?" Kathleen asked as her husband emptied the grocery bag.

"Good. Daniel's busy beating your cousin at chess."

Kathleen looked at him. "He is?"

"Well, I can't say I'm sure that Daniel will win, but if Jack wins, it won't be an easy victory."

"I wonder when Daniel's parents began teaching him how to play."

Quentin grinned. "In the cradle perhaps."

When the teacher came back out into the living room, it was Daniel who was making a move and Jack who was doing the watching. Once the boy's move was completed, Jack stared at the board. He then looked at Quentin.

"You knew that he's some kind of junior chess champion, didn't you," he said accusingly.

"No, I'm not," Daniel responded. "My dad taught me."

Jack studied him. "Since what age?"

"Five, but I didn't beat him in any games until I was seven."

"Ah, slow learner, huh?" Jack said sarcastically.

Quentin let out a little snort of laughter. Seeing the confused look on Daniel's face, he said, "Jack didn't really mean that, Daniel. He was being sarcastic. Do you know what sarcasm is?"

Daniel nodded. "I think so. Dad once said something to someone that Mom said was sarcasm. She told me what it meant."

"Well, Jack's sarcasm was because he didn't realize that you're so good at chess."

"Oh. I'm not really all that good. I only beat my dad sometimes."

"Yes, and _he_ was probably a grand master," Jack muttered, though there was a little twinkle in his eyes. He pointed a finger at the boy. "Just don't think you've got me beat yet."

"I won't," the boy responded.

The game was still going on when dinnertime came. Daniel and Jack left the board and helped set the table.

When Daniel took his first bite of the turkey and mash potatoes casserole, he understood why his teacher had said he couldn't get enough of it.

"This is really good, Mrs. Greer," Daniel said.

Pleased by the compliment, Kathleen smiled. "Thank you, Daniel. I'm glad you like it."

Quentin took a couple bites of his own. "So, how are things going at the Academy, Jack?" he asked.

"Oh, not bad. The class load is still brutal, though, and I really miss not having the summers off."

"You don't get a summer vacation?" Kathleen questioned.

"No, we're out doing training during the summer. Actually, I like that part better than the academics."

"What are you talking about?" Daniel asked. "What academy?"

"The Air Force Academy."

Daniel's expression brightened. "You're in the Air Force?"

"Well, I'm just a cadet right now, but, once I graduate, I will be an Air Force lieutenant."

"Captain Carter is in the Air Force."

"Captain Carter?"

"He's my best friend's dad."

"He's stationed at Griffiss," Quentin explained.

"Where's the Air Force Academy?" Daniel asked.

"In Colorado," Jack replied, "Colorado Springs, to be exact."

"I've never been to Colorado."

"Well, you'll have to go there someday. Pretty country, although I still prefer Minnesota. That's where I grew up. Land of the loons."

"Loons?"

"A bird that makes this really cool, almost spooky sound."

"Are you going to be visiting your parents for Christmas?" Kathleen asked her cousin.

"That's the plan."

The conversation continued, eventually returning to Jack's studies. He mentioned that he was attempting to learn Spanish.

"I know Spanish," Daniel announced.

Jack smiled. "You do?"

"Uh huh. Mom taught it to me before we went to visit Nick on a dig in Central America."

"A dig?"

"Daniel's parents were archeologists," Quentin explained.

"Were?"

A moment of complete silence descended on the room. Jack watched the face of the little boy across from him fill with sorrow, his gaze dropping to the tabletop.

"Daniel lost his parents a few months ago," Kathleen said softly.

Feeling genuinely sorry for the child, Jack said, "I'm sorry, Daniel." There was another moment of silence, then he asked, "Who's Nick?"

Quentin frowned. "Daniel's grandfather."

"Daniel calls his grandfather by his name?"

"Nick doesn't like to be called Grandpa," Daniel explained quietly.

That made Jack frown as well. "Sounds like a real charming fellow. So, do you live with him now?"

Daniel shook his head. "He's in Belize."

"Daniel is in foster care," Kathleen told her cousin.

Jack's frown deepened. Why was the kid in foster care? Shouldn't his grandfather be taking care of him instead of being off in a foreign country? Weren't there any other relatives?

Quentin decided that the subject really needed to be changed.

"What Daniel didn't tell you is that Spanish is only one of the languages he speaks. He's actually a very gifted linguist."

"Really?" Jack responded. "That's pretty cool. I'd probably pay a lot to have his talent every time I try to learn a sentence in Spanish. It's those rolling R's that I have the most trouble with. My tongue just doesn't want to move that fast. It gets all tuckered out." He turned to Daniel. "I bet your tongue never gets tired."

The boy shook his head.

"Hmm." Jack stood up and leaned over the table. He gently took Daniel's chin between his thumb and forefinger. "Okay, open up. Let me see what a super-powered tongue looks like."

Surprised by the man's action, Daniel hesitated.

"Well, come on. I'm doing scientific research here," Jack said. "I might write a paper on it for school."

Still hesitant, Daniel opened his mouth, and Jack made a big show of studying the boy's tongue.

"Yes, I do believe I see something," Jack said. "Stick it out please." Daniel complied, and Jack adopted an expression of intense concentration. "Yes, I was right. Not your average tongue there. And . . . whoa, wait a minute." He bent down further, peering into the back of Daniel's mouth. "Ah ha! I knew it! There's a spare power source back there, a backup generator." He released Daniel's chin and stood up straight, hands on hips. "Okay, tell me where you got it," he commanded firmly.

"I didn't get it anywhere," Daniel replied, trying not to giggle.

"Oh, don't give me that. That generator didn't get in there all by itself. Where did you get it? Tongues-R-Us?"

Daniel couldn't stop the giggle this time, but said nothing.

Jack sat down in a huff. "Fine. Keep your secrets. I'll just have to go find one for myself. Then I'll be rolling my R's with the best of them."

Quentin and Kathleen smiled at the exchange. Though the teacher had some issues with Jack's acts of irresponsibility in the past, the young man had just gone out of his way to cheer Daniel up, which definitely scored him some points in Quentin's books.

Once everyone was finished eating, the table was cleared, then they all went to the living room, where Daniel and Jack resumed their game. Less than an hour later, Daniel put Jack in check.

Quentin grinned. "You might as well give up now, Jack. He's got you beat."

"No way! They don't train quitters at the Air Force Academy. I'm going down fighting!"

He went down fighting fifteen minutes later.

"The next time I come here for a visit, I want a rematch," Jack told the winner.

Daniel smiled. "Okay. When will you come again?"

"Oh, that's tough to say. I'll be graduating next year. I'm pretty sure I'll be getting one of the pilot slots, so I'll then be going on to pilot training. After that, who knows where I'll end up." He smiled at Kathleen. "But I always try to visit Kitty Kat every couple of years or so."

"How come you call her that?"

"Oh, don't get him started on that," Kathleen said.

Jack ignored her and grinned. "Well, it all started back when I was just a couple of years older than you. Kathleen here was a young college graduate with a nice little apartment. She always was the soft-hearted type, so when this stray cat followed her home one day, she decided to feed it. Well, quite naturally, the cat assumed that if she fed it once, she'd just keep right on doing so, so it kept showing up on her doorstep, meowing for food. I bet you can guess what Kathleen did."

"She fed it again."

"Yep. It wasn't long before that mangy stray cat was getting rather chubby and spending more time in Kathleen's apartment than out on the street. Well, one day, much to Kathleen's dismay, she discovered that not all the weight on that cat was because it was being overfed."

Daniel smiled brightly. "It was pregnant!"

"Right again. Five little baby kittens got popped out in Kathleen's laundry basket, all over her nice clean towels. So, suddenly, she had not one cat but six! Once those kittens were old enough, they were running all over the place. Kathleen's nickname had always been Kat, so it was only natural for ten-year-old me to start calling her Kitty Kat once I saw her with all those felines."

"Yes, and he called me that so many times the first year that he's lucky I didn't smother him and toss is body in the river," Kathleen said.

"That's a great story," said Daniel. "When I was littler, I saw a camel being born."

Jack looked at him. "A camel? Where was that?"

"In Egypt."

"Wow. Egypt, huh. It sounds like you did a lot of traveling."

Jack's remark led to him being told all about Daniel's life with his archeologist parents, which, in turn, led to Daniel revealing to the young man a portion of his staggering knowledge of history, cultures and mythology. Almost every time Quentin looked at his wife's cousin, Jack had sort of a glazed, stupefied look on his face.

"Okay, that is just unnatural," the cadet said in the kitchen a while later as he and Quentin got some beer. "How can an eight-year-old have that much crammed into his head? When I was eight, mostly all I thought about was playing and going fishing with my dad."

Quentin gave a little chuckle. "Well, Daniel's not your ordinary child. He was recently given an I.Q. test, and he scored quite high, well into the genius range."

"So, what's the whole story with him? What happened to his parents?"

Quentin told Jack the whole tragic story of the death of the Jacksons and what Daniel had gone through since then.

Jack let out a soft curse. "The poor kid. By looking at him, I'd never have guessed it."

"Well, he's come a long way during these last couple of months. He's undergoing therapy with a child psychologist now. I've been trying to help him as much as I can." Quentin sighed. "Unfortunately, he's going to be moved out of my class and into the fourth grade after the Christmas break."

Jack frowned. "That's a big jump, isn't it?"

"He would have been put in the fifth grade, if it wasn't for his emotional state."

"Well, he sure is quite the kid."

Quentin smiled softly. "That he is."

The leftover pumpkin pie was served a short while later. As they ate it, Jack got an idea.

"Hey, how about if we all head up to Adirondack tomorrow and have some fun in the snow?" he suggested.

"What's Adirondack?" Danny asked.

"A really huge park. The Adirondack Mountains are there, plus lots and lots of lakes, rivers and streams. Some great fishing up there, although not this time of year."

"That would be fun," Quentin said, "but it's awfully short notice, and it's a pretty long drive."

"Eh, it's not _that_ long. If we got started really early, say around six, we'd get there way early enough to have plenty of time for some great fun. So, what do you say?"

Quentin and Kathleen looked at each other.

"We'd have to call Daniel's foster parents and see if it's all right with them," Quentin stated.

"Well, then go call them."

The teacher looked at Daniel. "Would you like to go, Daniel? It would mean getting up very early and driving for quite a while."

"I don't mind getting up early," the boy replied. "You have to get up early when you're working on a dig."

Quentin smiled. "Well, okay, then. I'll go call your foster parents."

Diane thought it was a marvelous idea. They agreed that it would be best for Daniel to spend the night with the Greers, so Quentin took the boy home to pack some clothes and other necessities.

"Can Sam come, too?" Daniel asked on the way back.

"Oh, I'm sure they're probably off doing stuff with their visiting family," Quentin responded.

"Captain Carter's sister went to Florida, but Mrs. Carter's brother, Aaron, might still be here. Maybe they could _all_ come with us."

"Well, how about if we give them a call when we get back?"

As soon as they returned to the Greer home, the teacher got on the phone, but got no answer at the Carters.

"They could be out for the evening or they might even be gone for the weekend," he said to Daniel. "I'll try again in an hour." He looked at his watch. "We should probably get you to bed. We're going to have to get up very early."

"It's a good thing you have two spare rooms," Jack remarked.

Daniel's stuff was taken into the smaller guest room, and he got ready for bed. He thought about warning the Greers about his nightmares, but he wasn't having them nearly as often now, so he probably wouldn't even have one.

Both Quentin and Kathleen tucked Daniel into bed.

"Sweet dreams," the woman said, giving the boy a kiss on the forehead.

Husband and wife watched the boy as he closed his eyes, then left the room, returning to the living room, where Jack was working on his second beer.

The second call to the Carters also wasn't answered. It was getting too late in the evening to make a third call, so it looked like it would just be the four of them going.

The three adults decided to also turn in early. Wishing his cousin and her husband a good night, Jack retired to his bedroom.

Stepping out of the master bath and into the bedroom, Quentin saw through the open door his wife standing before Daniel's room, gazing inside. There was a sad, wistful look on her face. It was not hard for the man to guess the reason for that look. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind, he eyes going to the sleeping child.

"He looks so beautiful lying there," Kathleen said softly.

"Yes, he does."

"I wish. . . ."

Hearing the slight tremor in her voice, Quentin tightened his hold. "I know," he whispered. "Me too."

Kathleen wiped a finger over her eyes, then moved away. "All done in the bathroom?" she asked in a falsely cheerful voice.

"Yeah."

Quentin watched her go into the master bedroom and shut the door, then he turned back to Daniel. With a sigh, he closed the door partway and headed off to bed.

* * *

It was five a.m. when Daniel was gotten out of bed. The fact that he didn't complain proved that he really was used to be awakened early in the morning. He was disappointed when told that the Carters wouldn't be joining them, but, soon, the excitement of what the day was going to bring brightened his mood.

They managed to get on the road by six. On the long drive, the boy fell back asleep. Fortunately, the road conditions were fair, so they made good time. They stopped and had a quick breakfast at a diner, where Daniel got a big stack of blueberry pancakes, which his adult traveling companions enjoyed watching him eat.

At last they reached the park and headed for an area where they could do some tobogganing.

Daniel watched with excitement as the two toboggans were untied from the car's roof.

"So, you ready for a toboggan right, Danny?" Jack asked.

"Yeah! Are we going to go all the way to the top of the hill?"

"How about if try halfway up the hill first?" Quentin suggested.

With Jack pulling one toboggan and Quentin the other, they all made their way up the hill. They found a spot that was a bit more level and stopped.

"Okay, Daniel, how about if you ride with Jack?" the teacher suggested.

"Okay."

As Jack and Daniel got on one toboggan, the Greers got on the other one. Jack put his arms around the boy, holding him close.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Uh huh."

"Okay. Hold on tight. Here we go!"

Jack pushed them off, and they went shooting down the hillside, Daniel laughing all the way down. As soon as they'd reached the bottom and come to a stop, they got the toboggan out of the way and watched as Quentin and Kathleen made their rapid descent.

"That was fun!" Daniel cried. "Let's do it again."

They went up a second time, this time going all the way to the top. On the way up, Quentin remarked that it was too bad it wasn't as quick and easy to get up the hill as it was to get down it.

They went up the hill a total of four times before the adults decided it was time to take a break from climbing hills. They went to a place that had sleigh rides.

Daniel looked up at the big draft horses harnessed to the front of the sleigh.

"They don't have horses that big in Egypt," he said.

Quentin smiled. "No, I should imagine that they don't."

Daniel turned to the man who would be their driver. "What's their names?"

The man smiled. "This here is Becky," he said, scratching between the ears of the smaller of the two, "and that's Romulus."

"Like in Romulus and Remus, the twin sons of the god Mars in Roman mythology?"

Surprised, the man looked at him. "Yep, that's right."

Jack stepped up. "Come on, kid. Let's get you in that sleigh before you start spouting off the names of all the gods in Roman mythology."

"I don't know them _all_," Daniel responded as he climbed into the sleigh.

Not only was the sleigh ride fun for everyone, it also gave Quentin, Kathleen and Jack a chance to rest up for more fun in the snow, which turned out to be a bit of snowshoeing after lunch. It took all of them quite a while to get the hang of walking in the snowshoes, Daniel having the most trouble because of his shorter legs. But, finally, they were off walking through the wilderness of the park, spotting various wildlife. They returned to the rental place an hour later, then decided to go get some hot chocolate and dessert. After that, they found a spot to do some more tobogganing.

On the third trip down the hill, Daniel was with Quentin. They were almost to the bottom when they hit a rough spot, and the toboggan tipped over, dumping them into the snow. They both rolled a few feet, then came to a stop. Daniel's laughter told the teacher that he was all right. He looked over at the snow-covered child.

"This is lots of fun," the boy said with a big grin.

"Yes, it sure is. Of course, it wouldn't be even half as much fun if you weren't with us."

"Mister Greer? How come you don't have any kids?"

Quentin lost his smile. "Um . . . well, we'd like to have one, but . . . we haven't been able to yet."

"How come?"

The teacher paused. He had no idea how much the boy knew about human reproduction.

"That's just the way it is sometimes," he said. "Sometimes, a man and a woman have a harder time making a baby than other people do. But we're still trying, and we hope that, someday, we'll have one." He got to his feet. "Come on. Let's get down the hill."

As they reached the bottom of the hill, Jack came up to them with a smile, pulling their toboggan behind him.

"Lose something?" he said with a smirk.

Daniel grinned. "Did you see us fall off?"

"I sure did. I thought for a second that you were going to roll all the rest of the way down the hill."

"You two all right?" Kathleen asked as she walked up to them.

"Sure, we're fine," Quentin replied. He looked at his watch. "We'll have to be heading home soon. I want to get on the road before dark."

They did one more slide down the hill, then got the toboggans strapped back onto the top of the car.

They chatted all the way home, making one stop to get some dinner.

"That was really fun," Daniel said once they'd gotten back and everything was unpacked from the car. "I wish the Carters could have come. That would have been even _more_ fun."

"Well, you'll have to tell them all about your day when you see them next," Quentin responded. He glanced at the clock. "I need to get you home, Daniel."

They went into the room where the boy had stayed and got his suitcase packed. Back out in the living room, the boy looked at Jack.

"Are you going to be here tomorrow, too?" he asked.

"No, I need to fly back to Colorado tomorrow."

"Oh." Daniel paused, feeling a little sad. He'd really started liking Jack a lot. "Am I going to see you again?"

"Oh, I'm sure you will. The next time I come here, you and I can get together and have some more fun. I'll come in the summer. Then we can go fishing."

"I've never been fishing."

"Ah, well, you haven't lived until you've been fishing."

Daniel hesitated for a long moment, then he stepped up to Jack and gave him a hug. The young cadet hugged him back, tousling his hair.

Jack looked down into the child's clear blue gaze. "You take good care of yourself, okay?"

Daniel gave him a nod, and the two of them separated.

Jack walked with Quentin and Daniel out to the car. He watched the car pull out of the driveway. As it disappeared into the night, some instinct told Jack O'Neill that he would see Daniel Jackson again someday.

* * *

**Author's Note:** My apologies for the long delay in getting back to this fic. One of the reasons for it is that I've got a medical issue going on with my right arm and shoulder that, for several weeks, made it impossible to use my computer for more than a few minutes at a time without being in pain. If it wasn't for the fact that I had a lot of stuff already written, I wouldn't have been posting anything at all. I am undergoing therapy now, which is making it possible for me to spend progressively more time at the computer. However, I still have to limit my computer time to avoid aggravating my condition, so I don't know how often I'll be able to get a chapter done.


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

Daniel ran up to Sam as she put her things away in her locker.

"Where were you on Friday night?" he asked. "Me, and the Greers and Mrs. Greer's cousin Jack all went to Adirondack Park. I wanted you guys to come, too, but we called you Friday night, and nobody was home."

Sam's eyes widened. "You went to the Adirondacks?! We did, too! Uncle Aaron gave us our Christmas presents early. He had lift tickets for all of us and reservations at one of the lodges. We got to go skiing. If we'd known you were there, too, we could have all gone skiing!"

"I don't know how to ski."

"I didn't either. This was my first time. I fell down a lot, but it was really fun. What did _you_ do?"

Daniel did a recap of the day's events.

"That sounds like lots of fun. If we'd known we were all there, maybe we could have done all those things and skied, too."

The ringing of the bell halted the conversation, and the two kids went off to their classes.

At lunchtime, the best friends went into more detail about all the fun they had in the snow. Kenny and Nathan were sitting with them and listened to it all enviously.

"I wish we'd done something fun for Thanksgiving," the blond boy said. "All we did was have a lot of relatives over. I had to share my bedroom with my cousin, Peter. I don't like him very much."

Daniel looked at the smaller boy. "Did you do anything for Thanksgiving?"

"My Aunt Sally came and visited. She's really nice. She's my mom's sister and looks a lot like her. She didn't stay with us, though, because my dad said we didn't have room for her. She stayed in a motel instead. She wants me to come visit her in South Carolina and stay a whole week. She even said she'd buy the airplane ticket." Kenny's head dropped. "But my dad said no."

"How come?" Sam asked, thinking that Kenny's dad was really mean.

"He just said he didn't want me to go there. But I really want to go. She has horses, and dogs and other animals, and she said there's lots of different wild birds that live there."

"Maybe he'll change his mind," Daniel said, feeling sorry for the boy.

Kenny shook his head, eyes yet again cast downward. "He'll never change his mind."

Trying to get Kenny's mind off his disappointment, Daniel told him about some of the birds he'd seen in the park, describing them and asking if the boy knew what they were. Kenny identified several of them.

The next day, Daniel had another tutoring session at lunchtime with the black-haired boy. They went to their usual secret place and began the lesson. Daniel had been trying to figure out how he could help Kenny overcome the specific reading and writing difficulties the boy had. He'd discovered that teaching Kenny how to break up a word into its individual sounds and then showing him what letters created each sound seemed to be helping. But it was still slow-going, and, often, Kenny got very discouraged, calling himself stupid. Every time that happened, Daniel gave the boy encouragement and insisted that Kenny wasn't stupid.

There were a lot of times when Daniel wished that he could get advice from Mister Greer on how to help his friend, but his teacher didn't even know that Daniel was helping Kenny, and it had to stay that way.

* * *

Quentin took a sip from his coffee mug, his eyes on the papers before him. There was going to be a big English test at the end of the week, and he was hoping that the majority of his students would do well. He had his usual concerns about several of them, particularly Kenny. It frustrated him because he knew that, with the right method of training, Kenny could do so much better. Sometimes, Quentin was tempted to defy the boy's father and have some one-on-one tutoring with Kenny two or three days a week at lunch.

The teacher reached for his cup again and accidentally bumped it, causing some of the contents to spill over the rim. He quickly snatched the papers off his desk and opened one of his drawers for a roll of paper towels that he kept there. He discovered that there was only one sheet remaining on the roll. After using it to mop up some of the spill, he left the classroom to go get another roll from the closet used to store the janitorial supplies. He was reaching for the closet's doorknob when he heard a voice come from inside. Quentin paused in surprise, wondering what mischief some kids might be getting into. Deciding to find out what was going on before confronting the children, he put his ear to the door.

"Is that a 'b' or a 'd'?" asked a voice Quentin was shocked to recognize as Daniel Jackson's. "It should be a 'b'."

"It's a 'b'," said a second child, one that the teacher identified as Kenny Robinson. "Sometimes, I get confused about which way some letters are supposed to go."

"Like 'b' and 'd'?" Daniel asked.

"Uh huh, and 'p' and 'q'. Sometimes others, too."

"Well, 'b' has the circle face to the right, and 'd' has it facing to the 'left'." There was a long pause. "What's wrong?"

"Sometimes, I . . . I get mixed up on right and left," Kenny replied in a low voice that Quentin could only barely hear.

"Oh," Daniel said. "Um . . . okay. You write with that hand, don't you? That's your right hand. Do you think that you'd be able to remember which letters face in the direction of the hand you write with and the ones that face the hand that you don't write with?"

"I don't know."

There was a moment of silence. "You're really good at remembering the names of birds, aren't you?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay. What kind of bird starts with the letter 'b'?"

"Um, well, there are all kinds of buntings, like the painted bunting, which is really pretty."

"And what about the letter 'd'?"

"I like the dodo bird. It's a funny-looking bird that went extinct a long time ago."

"Okay, what if you picture a bunting sitting on the hand that you write with and a dodo bird sitting on the hand that you don't write with? Then, when you're writing b's and d's, you just remember which bird is sitting on which hand. Do you think you can do that?"

There was excitement in Kenny's voice when he answered a few seconds later. "Yeah, I think I can."

In utter amazement, Quentin continued listening as Daniel used the same memory technique for the other letters that Kenny sometimes wrote backwards.

Bursting with pride for his star pupil, Quentin walked away and went to one of his fellow teachers to get a couple of paper towels. He wondered how long Daniel had been secretly tutoring Kenny. However long it had been, it sounded like he might actually be succeeding in helping the boy. How many children that age would even consider doing something like that?

When Daniel entered his classroom after the lunch recess, he noticed that his teacher was smiling at him. He didn't know why, so he pretended not to notice. He was curious about it, though, and found himself glancing at the man from time to time for the rest of the school day. He saw the smile three more times.

After the ringing of the final bell, Quentin called Daniel over. He waited until the last student had filed out of the room before speaking.

"Daniel, I know that you've been helping Kenny with his reading and writing."

The boy's face filled with worry. "You weren't supposed to find out. Kenny doesn't want his dad to know."

"Yes, I realize that, and don't worry. I have no intention of telling Mister Robinson about it. It'll remain our little secret."

Daniel relaxed. "Thank you, Mister Greer. I really did want to tell you so that I could ask if you knew how I could help him better."

Quentin nodded. "Sure, I can give you some advice, although, from what I heard, you're already doing an excellent job."

Daniel's eyes widened. "You heard us? When?"

"Today at lunch. I went to get some paper towels from the janitor's closet and heard you and Kenny through the door. That's how I found out what you were doing." Quentin rested a hand on the boy's arm. "Daniel, I want you to know that I am very, very proud of you. What you are doing is a wonderful thing."

Daniel ducked his head. "Is that why you were smiling at me this afternoon?"

Quentin laughed. "Yes, it is." He patted the boy's shoulder. "You'd better hurry along before you miss your bus. Will you be helping Kenny again tomorrow?"

"Uh uh. We only do it a couple days a week."

"Well, then perhaps you and I can get together at lunchtime, and I can explain a little about why Kenny has problems with reading and writing and how he can be helped."

Daniel smiled. "Okay. Thanks, Mister Greer."

"No, Daniel, thank _you_. You're making it possible for me to do something that I've wanted to do for quite a while now."

The next day at lunch, Quentin talked to Daniel about the learning disability that Kenny had and how there were ways that the boy could be helped.

"Kenny said that his dad wouldn't let him stay after school and let you help him, but I don't understand why," Daniel said.

Quentin sighed. "It's hard to explain, Daniel. You see, I believe that Mister Robinson doesn't want to believe that Kenny has a problem. He wants to think that Kenny is fine. That's why he's making the decisions he is. Unfortunately, they're the wrong decisions." He smiled. "But, together, you and I will help Kenny anyway. Okay?"

Daniel smiled as well. "Okay."

Daniel's fifth appointment with Doctor Pine was after school that day. Things had been going well during his talks with the psychologist, the boy finding it progressively easier to talk to the man about the death of his parents and the feelings he had about it. Because of that, the therapist decided to finally ask a question that he'd been putting off until he believed Daniel was ready.

"Daniel, I really appreciate how honest you have been with me during these sessions," he said. "I know that it hasn't always been easy for you. There's a question that I have to ask now, and I really need for you to be truthful with your answer. All right?"

Daniel started getting worried. "What question?"

Doctor Pine looked at the boy intently. "Do you ever think that there might have been some way for you to have saved your parents?"

Daniel's gaze immediately dropped to his lap.

"I can understand why you might think that," the doctor said when his patient didn't reply. "It's only natural that, when something bad happens to someone we love, we think, 'If I'd done something different, maybe it wouldn't have happened.' Have you thought something like that?"

After several more seconds, Daniel's head nodded.

"Can you tell me about it?"

It took a few more seconds for Daniel to reply. "I thought that maybe if I'd been closer, I could have pulled them out before the coverstone fell on them," he admitted in a small voice, his eyes still downcast. "Or if I'd been faster eating breakfast that morning, everyone wouldn't have been hurrying so much to set things up in time. Or-or maybe when the chain broke, if I could have run really, really fast, I could have pushed Mom and Dad out of the way. Or. . . ." Daniel's voice faded into silence.

The psychologist leaned forward. "Daniel, first of all, I want to make clear to you that the death of your parents was in no way your fault. What happened was not because you took a bit longer to eat you breakfast or because of anything else you did. Your parents are responsible for their own decisions. It was their choice to stand under that coverstone while it was being put in place, and even if you skipped breakfast completely, they'd probably still have done it. As for you thinking that you could have saved them. . . . It happened really fast, didn't it, Daniel. One second, that coverstone was being held by the chain, and, the next, the chain broke, and the coverstone fell."

Daniel began hugging himself.

"No matter how fast you ran, no matter how close you'd been, there wouldn't have been enough time for you to get them out. There isn't a human being on this entire planet who could have moved fast enough to pull your parents out in time. I know how much you wish that you could have saved them, Daniel, but it just wouldn't have been possible."

The boy was now crying, and Joseph decided that it was time to end the session. He turned to Diane.

"I think that's it for today. We'll see you again next Wednesday."

Daniel was silent on the trip home and went straight to his room once they arrived. Ever since his parents died, he had tried to think of some way that he could have saved them, someway he could have stopped the whole terrible thing from happening. Doctor Pine said that nobody could have saved them. Was that true? Maybe if Daniel had been a grown-up instead of a little kid, he could have found a way.

If he had a time machine, like the one in H.G. Wells' book, he could go back in time and warn his mom and dad, tell them what was going to happen. But there was no such thing as a time machine. He would never be able to go back and save them. They were dead, and nothing would ever bring them back to life.

* * *

Daniel was feeling a little low the next day, and, as usual, Quentin noticed. He'd have liked to talk with the boy and find out what was wrong, but he had an appointment with the principal during the lunch break. The teacher was concerned that it was going to be yet another lecture on spending too much personal time with Daniel.

At noon, Quentin went to Ted Parker's office, prepared for another confrontation, but the confrontation never happened. It turned out that the meeting was about something else.

"An old friend and colleague of mine is going to be coming over from New York City this weekend," the principal said. "It's regarding Daniel Jackson."

Quentin frowned. "What's this about?"

"Laurence works with gifted children. I told him all about Daniel, and he's very interested. He wants to run some more tests. I've contacted Daniel's foster mother, and she'll be bringing him in Saturday morning. I've also contacted his caseworker since she needs to be involved in this as well."

Quentin's frown deepened. "Involved in what exactly?"

"We'll discuss everything on Saturday, that is if you can be here. After Daniel's test scores have been evaluated, we're going to have a meeting. Since you're Daniel's teacher and, therefore, are most familiar with how well he's been doing in class and any particular facts we may need to be made aware of, I'd like you to be there."

The teacher nodded, having a bad feeling about this.

Daniel wasn't very happy when he learned that he was going to have to take more special tests. The last time he took those tests, they decided to take him out of Mister Greer's class. What would happen _this_ time?

On Saturday morning, Daniel met Doctor Laurence Beach. The middle-aged man smiled down at him.

"Hello, Daniel. It's nice to meet you. I've heard lots of good things about you. I understand that you are a very smart boy."

"I'm not all that smart," Daniel insisted. "I'm just good with languages, and history, and things like that."

The man patted his shoulder. "Well, these tests are going to give us a better idea on the ways in which you are smartest and how intelligent you truly are. I know you're probably nervous about this, but don't be. We're just curious about what you know and how well you can learn things. We'll also be seeing how good your memory is. All we ask is that you do the very best that you can, nothing more."

The testing began soon after that. It was still going on when Quentin arrived. He was surprised to see Jacob standing outside the principal's office with Diane Underwood. The two men shook hands.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here," the teacher said.

"Diane called us and told us about the new tests and the meeting. Laura would be here, too, but someone had to stay home with the kids. Do you have any idea what this is about?"

"No, not really. Ted wouldn't discuss the details with me. All he said is that this friend of his works with gifted children."

Just then, Lucy Merrick arrived. It was around ten minutes later that the principal came out of his office with Daniel.

"The tests are all completed," he said. "We're going to go through them now. It'll take a while. Perhaps you can all go to the teacher's lounge and relax for a bit."

They did what Mister Parker suggested. Quentin put on a pot of coffee and made a cup of hot chocolate for Daniel. Everyone wanted to ask the boy what had been included in the tests, but decided against it. They'd be finding out soon enough.

Knowing that Daniel could not be present for the discussion on the test results, Quentin went and got several fifth grade history books to keep the boy occupied. Diane decided that she'd rather stay with Daniel and keep him company, so she and the boy remained in the lounge as the others went to the principal's office when they were asked to return. Chairs were found for everyone, and they all took a seat.

"I'm sure it will be no surprise to any of you that Daniel did very well," Doctor Beach said. "The tests I gave him included some standard IQ tests. There were also some additional tests on memory retention, as well as ones that tested his capacity to learn things beyond his present grade level. There were a few other specific tests as well, one of which revealed an extraordinary and rare ability within Daniel."

"Which is?" Quentin asked.

"Daniel has an amazing capacity for leaps in logic, to come to a correct conclusion without first going through the step-by-step process of logic to reach the answer. You see, many of us, when presented with something to be reasoned out, would almost always think along a straight line, going from A to B to C and so on, finally coming to a conclusion based on a logical process of thought. Daniel, however, has a natural ability to jump from the presentation of the problem to a solution without going through those steps of logic. In other words, he can jump from A all the way to Z without going through the rest of the alphabet. This enables Daniel to reach an answer with extraordinary speed, far faster than the average person.

"That alone makes him a very special child, but there's far more to his intelligence than that. In several areas, Daniel is scoring four to five grades above Grade 3, the grade many children his age are in."

"Wait a minute," Jacob said. "Four to five grades? But that's seventh and eighth grade! The principal said that Daniel could reasonably be put in just _sixth_ grade."

"Yes, that's right. You see, it has to do with the disparity between what Daniel _has_ learned and what he's _capable_ of learning. Daniel's present level of knowledge puts him at the fifth and sixth grade level, his lowest scores being in the hard sciences. However, what he would be capable of learning in the proper classroom environment is far higher. His level of memory retention is very impressive, not quite photographic, but far above normal. He possesses a staggering amount of knowledge in the areas of history, cultures and mythology."

Jacob nodded. "He's told us way more than we'll ever remember."

Doctor Beach nodded as well, clearly not surprised. "The child appears to soak up knowledge like a sponge. The thing that truly amazes me is his skill with languages. You already know that Daniel is fluent in six spoken languages. He also has a pretty good grasp of a seventh language, Italian. You know as well that he can read and write five dead languages. But that is only part of Daniel's linguistic knowledge. He actually knows a smattering of an additional five languages, and, even more amazing, can actually speak ancient Egyptian! Now, let me clarify that by saying he can speak it to the best of what our knowledge is of the spoken form of the language. Since the language in its original form hasn't been spoken in many centuries, we can only make guesses on how words were pronounced based on related languages and other knowledge we have. But, to the best of what we believe the language sounded like, Daniel can speak it."

"Yes, we already know about the ancient Egyptian," Quentin said. "We found that out last Halloween when he proceeded to teach me several sentences in that language."

Doctor Beach smiled. "The child is simply amazing. He also knows quite a bit of ancient Greek and some words and phrases in a few other dead languages, both spoken and written. This is nothing short of extraordinary! Daniel's scores when it comes to language learning and retention are completely off the scale. With training in those areas, I have no doubt that he'd be fluent in some twelve to fifteen languages by the time he reached his teens. I can't even begin to speculate how many he'd know by adulthood."

"So, what are you saying?" Lucy asked. "What does all this mean for him?"

"I am involved in a privately run program for very special, gifted children. It's operated out of New York. We have set up a school with highly trained teachers who specialize in the various fields. All the children there are taught everything that they'd learn in a normal school, but with extra emphasis on the areas in which they are most gifted. In addition, subjects are taught that a child generally wouldn't begin receiving schooling in until they reached much higher grades, like, for instance, linguistics. I'd like to enroll Daniel in that school."

"But you said that it's in New York City," Quentin said, frowning.

"Yes, just a few miles outside, actually. Daniel would have to be transferred there." Doctor Beach looked at Lucy. "From what I understand of the foster care system, that wouldn't be a problem. It's a boarding school, and we do charge a monthly fee to help pay for the expense of boarding the children, but it's no higher than what the average foster family is being paid for each child they foster. We have a couple of other foster kids at the school right now."

Just the thought of Daniel being put in some boarding school where he'd have no one to love him or care for his emotional needs made Jacob want to scream, "No!" But he couldn't say no. He had no power to stop this from happening. It was entirely in the hands of Social Services and Daniel's caseworker.

The captain looked at Lucy. There was a slight frown on her face. Whether it was one of displeasure or deep thought he did not know.

"I have some knowledge of boarding schools, Doctor Beach," the woman said, "and what I know about some of them is not something I like."

"If you're concerned about corporal punishment, Mrs. Merrick, I can assure you that does not happen in our school."

"But what about family?" Quentin asked, clearly worried. "Who cares for the children, gives them love and attention? There's more to a child than just his mind."

"Yes, of course there is. We have the equivalent of nannies who help look after the younger children, and, of course, we have games and sports for the kids to play."

"But none of that is the same as having parents nurturing and loving a child," Jacob stated.

"No, but, as I'm sure you know, boarding schools are quite common in some countries. Parents have been sending their children to such schools for generations."

Jacob was very tempted to say that most of the parents who send their kids to boarding schools are people who have no desire to care for the kids themselves and want the children out of their hair.

Doctor Beach looked about at everyone. "I understand your reservations. We are hoping that, eventually, we can put a tutoring program in place, but that's still several years off. Daniel has the potential to go incredibly far, have an amazing career in linguistics or whatever other field he chooses to pursue. But he needs proper training to reach his full potential. We can give that to him."

"Doctor Beach, do you know anything about Daniel's history?" Jacob asked. "Have you been told about his parents' deaths and what he's gone through since then?"

"Yes, I was filled in on all that."

"Then you must know that he is still recovering emotionally from what happened. He needs love and understanding, people to make him feel safe and wanted. Excuse me for saying this, but he isn't going to get that in a boarding school."

Doctor Beach frowned slightly. "From what I understand, Daniel also has a great thirst for knowledge. I believe that, in our school environment, where the focus is on feeding the mind and nurturing the intellect and where the normal problems and stresses that kids have to deal with outside of school do not exist, Daniel will flourish. Yes, it might take him a few weeks to fully adapt, but once he is immersed in learning, I believe he'll be fine."

Jacob thought of the sweet, loving, sensitive child that Daniel was being put in such an emotionally sterile environment, and it made him sick. Who would nurture _that_ side of him there? Who would give him hugs and kisses? Who would be there to make him feel better after a nightmare or when he was crying for his parents?

Doctor Beach looked at those assembled, his eyes coming to rest on the only person there who would be involved in the decision: Daniel's caseworker.

"Think it over, Mrs. Merrick, and discuss it with your supervisor. I just ask that you not take too long to make the decision. If we're going to enroll Daniel in my school, we'll want to do it when the next semester begins."

Quentin, Jacob and Lucy all got to their feet and left the room, then slowly headed down the hall toward the teacher's lounge.

"I don't think I have to tell you what I feel about this," Jacob said to Lucy after a few seconds. "I don't think Daniel belongs in a place like that."

"I definitely understand your misgivings. I have them as well. But I also have to take into consideration how this would benefit Daniel's future. When it comes to scholastic achievement, foster children very often fall behind. The rate of dropouts is much higher with kids in the foster care system. To give a child in foster care this kind of opportunity. . . ." Lucy's voice trailed off. "We will definitely think long and hard about this, Captain Carter, and we will try very hard to come to the best decision for Daniel."

No one said anything to Diane and Daniel about the school in New York, not wanting to upset the child. They all exited the building to the sight of snow falling.

"I need to get home and check to make sure I haven't gotten any calls about one of my cases," Lucy said. She bid everyone goodbye and hurried to her car.

Jacob looked down at the boy who might soon be taken away from them. "So, Daniel," he said, putting on a smile. "Would you like to come over to our house tomorrow? I'm sure that Sam would love to have you."

The child smiled brightly. "Sure! That would be great!"

Jacob chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Okay. As long as we're not all snowed in, I'll come get you before lunch, that is if it's okay with your foster mom."

"That's fine," Diane replied with a smile.

"All right, we'll see you then."

Jacob watched the woman and child leave, then turned to Daniel's teacher. "So, what do _you_ think about all this?"

"The truth? I don't like it. As a teacher, I do understand Doctor Beach's point of view, but Daniel in a boarding school for gifted children?" Quentin shook his head. "Sure, he'd get a great education, but that's pretty much _all_ he'd get."

"My point exactly. I wish we had some say in this."

Quentin frowned. "So do I."

* * *

The next morning, Lucy got a surprise call from Daniel's teacher, asking if they could meet and talk about Daniel. She agreed, and they arranged to meet at the Child Welfare office that afternoon.

"Thank you for agreeing to this meeting, Mrs. Merrick," Quentin said as he sat down across from her desk.

"I assume that this is about Daniel. I also assume that it has something to do with the boarding school."

"Yes, it does. Mrs. Merrick, let me say this plain and simple. Sending Daniel to that school would be a huge mistake."

The woman blinked in surprise. "I'm surprised to hear that, considering that you're a teacher."

"Yes, I'm a teacher, but I'm also a guy whom I'd like to think has gotten to know Daniel pretty well since he came into my class. He is, indeed, quite brilliant. He has an amazing mind. But he's also a child of great emotional depth and wisdom. He is very caring and incredibly selfless for a child his age. There is a student in my class whom I'm certain is dyslexic. I haven't been able to formally test him yet because his father refuses to give permission, and his mother is dead. I recently discovered that Daniel has been trying to help him with his reading and writing. Eight years old, and he's spending some of his lunch breaks attempting to teach the boy. I found this out after I happened to overhear one of the lessons, and I have to say that I was amazed at what I heard. Daniel is so patient and understanding with Kenny. It almost brought tears to my eyes. Daniel is special in far more ways than just his mind, Mrs. Merrick. He also has a special heart and soul, and, in that school, there will be no one to feed those things."

"I do agree with what you're saying, Mister Greer," Lucy said. "I have never been a fan of boarding schools. But we have to weigh all the pros and cons and decide what is going to be the best thing for Daniel's future. The kind of genius he possesses is not something that comes along every day. We're going to have a meeting Monday morning to discuss it."

Quentin's expression firmed. "All right. Then I'll give you something else to discuss. I'd like to offer you a deal. You keep Daniel here, in this school, and I'll tutor him after school hours and on weekends. I can't teach Daniel linguistics, but I can arrange for him to get all the books and language learning tapes I can lay my hands on. I have friends in all levels of education, including college, and I have access to a lot of educational materials."

Lucy stared at him closely. "Why are you offering this?"

"Because I care. Daniel is a very special little boy whom I want to see grow into the kind of man I think he can be, someone who is not only brilliant but also a very good person on the inside. There aren't many truly beautiful souls in this world, Mrs. Merrick, but I believe that Daniel is one of them. Please give his mind _and_ his soul a chance to blossom."

Lucy searched the teacher's face for several seconds, then nodded. "All right. I'll present this at the meeting. To be completely honest, I do have some serious reservations about letting Daniel go to that school, at least at the present time, when he's still recovering from the death of his parents." She gave him a smile. "You are a good man, Mister Greer. I wish that all children had teachers like you." 


	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

From his place on the couch, Jacob watched Daniel and Sam playing a game of checkers. Normally, he'd enjoy watching the game, but his mind was not really on it. Instead, it was on the boy playing the game, a child Jacob had come to care for deeply and to whom he and his family might soon have to say goodbye. He had told Laura about the school in New York, and she was as upset as he was. Of course, they hadn't breathed a word of it to Sam. He just hoped that it would never be necessary.

Laura was not the only woman to have reacted negatively to the news given to her by her husband. When Quentin told Kathleen the whole thing, she'd been horrified that the wonderful little boy who had spent so many delightful hours in their home might be taken away from all that he loved and tossed into some boarding school run by strangers who'd make no effort to care for the emotional needs of a child still scarred by tragedy. She'd seen how upset Quentin was, the hours he spent frowning into the lit fireplace Saturday night. When he suddenly told her that he was going to offer to tutor Daniel, she was all for it, even though it might mean some big changes in their lives. If it meant that Daniel wouldn't be sent to that place, it was worth any inconvenience.

Throughout Monday morning and afternoon, Quentin was on pins and needles. Lucy would be calling him after he got home to let him know what the decision was, and, for one of the only times since he became a teacher, he was wishing that the school day would hurry up and end.

He was out the classroom door two minutes after the ringing of the bell. Once arriving home, he then had to suffer through another half-hour of waiting. When the phone rang, he had the receiver in his hand partway through the first ring.

"What's the verdict?" he asked once it was confirmed that the caller was Lucy.

"Well, there was a bit of arguing back and forth, but, in the end, it was decided that we'd take you up on your offer, Mister Greer."

Quentin's breath caught. "Then Daniel isn't going to be sent to that boarding school?"

"No. He'll be staying in Rome."

Quentin collapsed on the couch, almost weak with relief. "Thank you, Mrs. Merrick. I can't tell you how relieved I am."

"Thank _you_, Mister Greer, for giving us a better option. When do you believe that you'll be able to start Daniel's tutoring?"

"Well, I'll need to get some school books and other things, figure out the best schedule. School will be letting out for the holidays in a little over three weeks, so I'd say it would be best to wait until next semester, after Daniel has had a few days to settle into fourth grade."

"I agree. Oh, and be sure to keep track of all your expenses. I'm going to see if we can reimburse you for your costs. It's only fair, after all."

"Thank you. I appreciate that. A teacher's salary isn't anything to brag about."

When Quentin got off the phone, he looked up to see Kathleen staring at him from the hallway.

"They said yes?" she asked.

He grinned at her. "They said yes. Daniel won't be leaving us."

"Thank God."

Quentin picked up the phone. "I need to call the Carters and give them the good news."

When the teacher told Jacob everything, the first words out of the Captain's mouth were, "I could kiss you for this, Quentin."

The teacher laughed. "Maybe it's a good thing I'm not telling you this in person, then. Our wives might get jealous."

Jacob let out a laugh of his own. "Seriously, though, this is a very generous thing you're doing, volunteering to devote all that time without pay."

"Well, I'd be lying if I said that it was a hundred percent altruistic. Though my decision was made mostly for Daniel's sake, I did it for one selfish reason as well." Quentin paused. "The truth is that the thought of never seeing Daniel again . . . well, it was pretty hard to take."

"I know what you mean. Laura and I have been thinking the same thing, and both of us were trying to figure out how we were going to break the news to Sam. I am so relieved that we won't have to. So, when are you going to tell Daniel?"

"Well, I was thinking about going over there this evening."

Jacob smiled. "Can't wait to give him the news, eh?"

"Nope."

"Well, I'm sure that he is going to be one very happy little boy."

When Quentin arrived at the Underwoods, Daniel was in his room. Taking advantage of the fact that the boy didn't know yet that he was there, the teacher talked to Diane first.

"Has someone told you about what happened at the meeting regarding Daniel's test?" he asked.

Diane nodded. "Mrs. Merrick told me. She decided it was only fair that I know." She stared at him pleadingly. "Please tell me that they're not going to send Daniel to that school. It would be so terrible if that happened."

Quentin smiled at her. "He won't be going. I offered them another option, and they took it." He explained the deal.

Diane smiled in relief and clasped his hands for a moment. "Thank you. You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that. Are you here to tell Daniel about the tutoring? He's going to be thrilled."

Quentin headed to Daniel's room. The boy was very surprised to see him.

"Hi, Mister Greer. What are you doing here?"

"Well, I have something to discuss with you."

As Daniel sat on the bed, Quentin settled in the little chair for Daniel's desk, though it was actually way too small for him.

"This has to do with all those tests you took on Saturday." Quentin saw the look that came over the boy's face. "Hey, don't worry. This is a good thing. I promise."

"What about the tests?" Daniel asked, still worried.

"Well, the man who gave you the tests was very impressed with how well you did. You see, he runs a special school for children who are highly gifted, like you are, and he wanted you to go to that school."

Daniel's eye clouded over with sorrow. "But I don't want to go to another school."

"I know, Daniel, and we didn't want you to either, so I worked out something much better."

"What?"

Quentin smiled. "How would you like me to be your tutor?"

Daniel's eyes widened in surprise. "My tutor?"

"Uh huh. You'd still go to fourth grade next semester, like planned, and Mrs. Mason will still be giving you some advanced schoolwork, but, in addition, I'll tutor you for an hour or two after class and perhaps a bit on the weekends as well. How would you like that?"

A light had begun to shine in Daniel's eyes. "Then you'd still be my teacher?"

"Yes, in a way. I'm also pretty sure that I can get my hands on any language tapes and books that you'd like me to, so you'll be able to get back to learning languages. I might even be able to get some other linguistic materials." Quentin smiled. "I bet you'd love to learn some more dead languages."

A second later, Daniel was hugging him. Quentin pulled the child close, laying his cheek against the golden hair.

"Thank you," Daniel whispered.

"You are very welcome, Daniel. Everything is going to work out great."

* * *

As the days passed and Christmas drew progressively closer, Daniel's awe over all the decorations he saw nearly everywhere he looked grew stronger. He'd never been in the States during this time of year, and, though he'd known that many homes and businesses were decorated for the holidays, it was the first time he'd seen it in person.

The boy was thrilled when the Underwoods enlisted his aid to decorate their house, and, for the first time since coming to live with them, his foster father talked with him for more than a couple of minutes and actually praised him for the good work he did in helping to hang lights and decorate the Christmas tree.

Daniel also received two other invitations to help, from the Carters and the Greers, both of which he happily accepted. The boy had a great time at both houses, especially when a popcorn fight broke out at the Carters'. Of course, the clean-up afterwards wasn't quite so much fun.

Yet, for all the joy the season was bringing, there was also sorrow. This would be Daniel's first Christmas without his parents, and he found himself missing them more every day. He thought about the Christmases he'd shared with them, the gifts they'd exchanged. No matter where they were, even if it was on some dig way out in the Egyptian desert, his mom and dad had always made sure that on Christmas Day, they had a family celebration. Sometimes, shortly before Christmas, they got together for a little party with friends and coworkers who celebrated the holiday. It never failed that Daniel would end up with quite a few presents.

The subject of presents was another thing that was upsetting Daniel. He received only a small allowance from the Underwoods, and what was left wasn't enough to buy gifts for all the people on his list. In fact, he didn't even have enough to buy _one_ good gift, let alone the ten that he wanted to get.

And so it was that, the closer December twenty-fifth got, the sadder Daniel became until, one day, Diane found him crying in his bedroom.

She sat down beside him. "What's wrong, Daniel?" She brushed a hand through his hair. "Are you missing your family?"

The boy nodded, not looking at her.

Diane pulled him into a hug. "Oh, Daniel. I know how hard this time of year must be for you. I know it was for me for years after I lost my father. But I promise it'll get better."

"It's not just that," Daniel mumbled. "I don't have enough money to buy any presents. I want to get presents for the Carters, and the Greers, and Kenny, and Nathan, and . . . and you, but I can't get any at all." More tears slipped down his face.

Diane was deeply touched that the boy wanted to buy her a Christmas present. She wished that there was something she could do, but money was tight right now.

"Perhaps you could make the gifts," she suggested. "Homemade gifts can be just as nice or even better than ones you buy in the store."

"But I don't know what I could make. I sometimes made the presents for my mom and dad, but that was easier."

"Well, you just have to think about what everyone might like. Would you like to go shopping around and see if you get any ideas?"

Daniel wiped his face dry. "Okay. Thank you Mrs. Underwood."

Diane took him and the other kids to the crafts section in a department store. As soon as Daniel saw the modeling clay, he started getting ideas. He recalled getting some from his parents once and using it to make an Egyptian statue. He'd painted it colorfully and presented it to them wrapped in paper. They'd loved it and took it along on almost every dig from then on. Maybe if he got lots of the clay, he could make things for all the people on his list.

Daniel had brought all of his remaining allowance money with him, but found that it wasn't enough to buy a sufficient amount of clay, plus the paint. Seeing the disappointment on his face, Diane 'loaned' him the rest of the money, though she really didn't have any intention of asking him to repay her.

That evening, the boy got started on his gift-making project, putting a lot of thought into what he'd make for each person.

Daniel wasn't the only person who was racking their brain to come up with the right gifts. Unbeknownst to him, many of the people he was trying to decide on the perfect gift for was doing the same in regards to him. Sam was driving Jacob and Laura crazy with her attempts to think of exactly the right present for her best friend. On the Saturday prior to the last one before Christmas, they went for a full day of Christmas shopping in Syracuse, and Sam dragged her parents and brother around from store to store, searching for something just right for Daniel. Of course, she wasn't the only one in the family to be looking that day for something to get the boy. Naturally, their first thought was getting books, but they all decided that they wanted to go with something different.

It was near the end of the day when Sam finally settled on her gift for her friend, much to the relief of the rest of the Carter family. Mark had gotten his gift for the boy hours ago. Unfortunately, neither Jacob nor Laura had found anything with which they were completely satisfied.

The next day, Jacob and Laura went out shopping for gifts for their own kids. Last year, they'd purchased a brand new bicycle for Mark, and, this year, would be Sam's turn. As they looked over the selection of bicycles in a department store, Jacob found himself staring at one bike in particular.

Laura noticed the direction of his gaze. "That's a boy's bike, Jacob."

"Yes, I can see that. I was just thinking that all little boys should have a bicycle."

Laura stared at him. "You're thinking of Daniel."

Jacob nodded. "I know it's a lot to spend for a child who isn't even a relative, but. . . ." He shrugged. "If Daniel had a bike, he'd have a way to come over our place without someone bringing him. He lives within bicycling distance."

Laura looked at the price tag on the bike and frowned. "Perhaps we could find a good used one somewhere."

Jacob nodded. "I suppose we could try."

Because it was Sunday, any bicycle shops that might have used bikes were closed, so Laura went bike hunting for Daniel the next day while the kids were in school. She finally settled on a blue one that was in good shape, with only a couple of small scratches in the paint. She was eager to see the look on Daniel's face when he saw it, just as eager as she was to see the expression on the faces of her own children when they got their presents.

* * *

A couple of days before the start of Christmas vacation, Quentin called Daniel over to his desk after the ringing of the final school bell.

"So, what are your plans for Christmas?" the teacher asked.

"I'm going to have Christmas dinner with the Underwoods and then the Carters."

The teacher smiled. "Two Christmas dinners?"

"Uh huh. The Underwoods have theirs on Christmas Eve, and the Carters have theirs on Christmas Day, so it'll be okay."

"Wow. You're lucky. Getting two Christmas dinners is quite a treat." He smiled fondly at the child. "If it wasn't for the fact that we'll be in New York City spending the holiday with my mother and a few other relatives, we'd have invited you to have dinner with us, but it looks like you're all booked up anyway. However, we do have a present or two for you, so perhaps we can stop by your house on our way to New York. We'll be leaving on Sunday."

Daniel's eyes widened. "You got me presents?"

"Well, of course we did."

"Thank you, Mister Greer."

"You're very welcome."

The next day was the final day of school. For virtually all of the kids, it was a happy day, and they were all bubbling with excitement, talking about the things they were going to do during the holidays. For Daniel, it was both happy and sad. After today, he'd no longer be in Mister Greer's class. Even though he was looking forward to being in the same class as Sam and the tutoring he'd be getting from his former teacher, he was still going to miss spending the mornings and afternoons in class with the man.

At lunchtime, Daniel gave his presents to Kenny and Nathan. Kenny had managed to scrimp and save up enough to get a little gift for Daniel, though he didn't think it was nearly good enough to thank the boy whom he thought of as his best friend. Nathan felt terrible because he hadn't gotten anything for Daniel.

"I wanted to get you something, but I didn't have any money left," he said, staring down at the floor.

"It's okay, Nathan," Daniel assured him. "I didn't expect you to get me anything. I didn't have enough money to buy presents for anyone, so I had to make the presents. You might not like what I made you."

Nathan looked at him. "I bet I will. You probably made something really cool." He sighed. "I wish I could have made something for you." He pulled out an envelope. "I did get you a Christmas card."

Daniel smiled and took it. "Thank you."

At the ringing of the final bell, Daniel's eyes went to Mister Greer. The man met his gaze for a brief moment, then stood up and told all the kids to have a happy vacation.

Daniel slowly gathered up all his school books and brought them to the teacher's desk, not looking at the man.

"Thank you, Daniel." Quentin studied the boy's down-turned face. "I guess this is it, isn't it. I'm really going to miss you in class every day."

"Me too," the boy said in a low voice.

"Well, it's not so bad. In another three weeks or so, I'll begin your tutoring. I'll be looking forward to that." Quentin grinned. "Kathleen's looking forward to it, too, since it means that she'll get to see you every weekday. She's gotten pretty fond of you, you know."

Daniel looked at him. "She has?"

"Oh, yes. You'll probably get fat eating all the cookies she'll be baking." He paused. "I probably will as well."

Daniel came around the desk and hugged the man. "Thank you for being the best teacher in the whole world, Mister Greer."

Tears prickled Quentin's eyes, and he held the boy tightly. "Thank _you_, Daniel, for being the best _student_ in the whole world."

They pulled apart, and the teacher brushed a hand across the boy's cheek, feeling a little ache in his chest. He put on a smile. "Go on now, Daniel. We'll see you bright and early Sunday morning, okay?"

Daniel nodded and, after retrieving the bag with his personal possessions, walked out of Quentin Greer's classroom for the last time as a student there.

* * *

On Saturday evening, the relatives of the Underwoods who would be visiting for the holidays began to arrive. The first ones to get there were Paul's parents. It didn't take Daniel long to start suspecting that the couple had negative feelings about the fact that their son and daughter-in-law were fostering kids. They never said anything in front of Daniel, but the looks they gave him and the other children were not especially friendly.

Diane's mother was totally the opposite. In fact, she just about smothered the four children with affection, and it got a bit overwhelming for Daniel, who escaped to his room as much as possible.

He was coming back out to get some water after one of his 'escapes' when he overheard his name being spoken.

"Surely he can't be as intelligent as all that," Paul Underwood's mother said. "I'm certain that everyone is exaggerating."

Diane sounded irritated when she replied. "I doubt that the director for that school in New York would exaggerate, Marsha. According to Daniel's caseworker, he said that, with the proper schooling, Daniel could be put in the seventh or eighth grade."

"Well, I think Social Services is making a mistake not sending him to that boarding school," Paul's father said. "Paul got an excellent education in boarding schools. It also taught him discipline, something that is lacking in a lot of children these days."

"Daniel doesn't need to learn discipline," Diane said, anger now in her voice. "He's a wonderful boy. I never have any trouble with him at all."

"Well, just wait until he's older," Marsha said. "The older boys get, the worst they become. Of course, I'm sure that you won't have Daniel for all that long seeing as Social Services moves foster kids around from family to family."

Daniel's heart started to hammer in his chest. He was going to be taken away from the Underwoods someday and given to someone else?

The boy rushed back to his room and sat on his bed. He'd come to like living with the Underwoods, or, rather, with _Mrs._ Underwood. She was nice. If he was given to another family, they might not be so nice. And what if the next family lived in another city? Then he'd never see Sam, or her parents, or the Greers, or his other friends at school ever again.

When Diane came into Daniel's room just before bedtime, she found him lying awake under the covers, and it was easy to see that he'd been crying. She sat on the edge of the bed.

"Daniel, what's wrong?"

The boy looked at her. "Am I going to be given to other foster parents?"

Horrified, Diane realized that Daniel must have overheard the conversation that had been going on earlier.

She sighed. "Oh, Daniel. I wish I could say that wasn't going to happen, but there is a chance that it will. Children in foster care don't always remain in a single foster home."

"But why?"

"That's just the way it is. I don't like it either."

Daniel started crying again. "B-but what if they take me far away to another city? Then I'll never see anybody again."

"No, Daniel, that won't happen," Diane quickly told him. "You know that deal Mister Greer worked out so that you wouldn't be sent to that school? Well, part of the deal was that you'd stay here in Rome so that he could tutor you. You won't be sent to another city."

"But I may be sent to another foster family?"

Diane's gaze dropped from his. "Yes, though I hope it won't be for a long time, if it happens."

Seeing the sadness on her face, Daniel sat up and hugged her. She hugged him back, fighting tears. The truth was that she'd learned a few days ago that, after the holidays, she'd already be losing one of her foster kids. Six-year-old Caleb had been with her for close to a year, and it had been decided that it was time for him to go to a new family. Diane knew that, eventually, all the kids she now cared for would be taken from her.

The one that she dreaded losing the most was Susy. Being only four, the little girl had fully bonded with her, calling her "Mommy", and Diane loved her like a daughter. She wanted to adopt the girl, but Paul had refused to even consider it. More than once, Diane had cried at the thought of one day saying goodbye to Susy.

There had been times when Diane had thought about leaving Paul, but, if she did, she couldn't be a foster parent, and the greatest joy in her life was the kids. Of course, if she were to remarry, she could have children of her own. The only reason why she didn't have her own kids now was that Paul didn't want any. It had taken years to convince him to let them foster kids, and the only reason he agreed was because of the money they'd be paid for each child.

Diane felt in her heart that one of the reasons why Paul had no interest in children was his own upbringing. He'd been sent off to boarding school at the age of seven and had remained in such schools throughout most of his childhood. He had virtually no experience in what it was like to have parents taking care of him, to be truly loved by them, so how could he be expected to be an attentive father? Thank goodness the same thing wouldn't be happening to Daniel.

It was eight o'clock when Quentin and Kathleen arrived at the Underwoods the next morning. They were introduced to the visiting relatives and took an immediate dislike to Paul's parents. They were glad to escape to Daniel's bedroom.

With a smile, Quentin handed two gift-wrapped packages to the boy. "Merry Christmas, Daniel."

The child smiled brightly. "Thank you. Can I open them now?"

"Ah ah. No jumping the gun. You have to wait until Christmas morning."

"But you won't be here Christmas morning."

"That's okay. We don't have to be here when you open them."

"But I _want_ to open them when you're here. I don't want to do it when you're gone."

Quentin and his wife exchanged a look.

"Do you think you could wait until we get back?" the teacher asked the boy. "We'll be returning on Wednesday, the day after Christmas."

Daniel smiled. "Okay. I can wait." He went over to his bed and pulled two packages out from underneath it, handing one to Quentin, the other to Kathleen, surprising them both.

"You got us presents?" the woman said. "Oh, Daniel. You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to. But I didn't buy them. I made them."

Quentin smiled down at him, touched by the gesture. "That's even better. Thank you very much, Daniel. We won't open ours either until we see you again. Then we can all open the presents together. Okay?"

Daniel gave them another smile. "Okay." He hoped that the Greers really would like the gifts he'd made. He'd spent all last weekend and as much time as possible throughout this week working on the gifts for them and the other people on his list. It has taken a while to decide what he believed would be the perfect gift for each person. Some had been easy decisions, others much harder.

Daniel got a hug from the two adults and a wish for a happy Christmas. As he watched them leave, a big part of him wished that he was going to New York with them. Though he tried to give everyone a chance, he didn't like his foster father's parents very much, and he feared that Christmas dinner at the Underwoods wasn't going to be all that great. But he'd be going to the Carters for dinner on Christmas Day, and that would be terrific. They weren't going to have any relatives over, so it would just be him and them. He'd be spending the entire day there, and Captain Carter had said that they'd have lots of fun.

Daniel didn't know that every member of the Carter household was dedicated to doing all they could to make his first Christmas without his parents as enjoyable as it could possibly be, to do everything in their power to keep the boy's mind off his loss. One way or another, they'd make sure that this Christmas would be a happy one for him. 


	22. Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Christmas Eve soon arrived. Daniel had remained in his room for a good deal of the time on Sunday, but ventured out on Monday to ask if he could help fix the big dinner. Diane's mother thought that was the sweetest thing and actually pinched his cheek, shocking the boy. Nobody had ever pinched his cheek before. Diane thanked him for the offer, but said that she didn't need his help since her mother was there to give a hand.

Feeling a little restless, Daniel got his coat and went into the backyard. The other three kids were there, playing in the snow that had fallen the night before. Paul was on the back patio with his father, who was smoking a cigarette. The smoke made Daniel's eyes water, and he hurried on past them. He went over to Susy, who appeared to be trying to build a snowman.

"Can I help?" he asked. Upon receiving a nod from her, he began forming a ball of snow. He'd been at it for several minutes when his foster father called to him and asked if he could watch the other kids for a few minutes. Daniel said yes, and the two men went inside.

Not even two minutes later, Caleb and five-year-old Adam got into a fight over a toy, and Daniel ran over to break it up. It took a couple of minutes to settle the two boys down. When Daniel turned back around, Susy was nowhere in sight.

"Susy?" he called. There was no answer. Daniel started looking around. "Susy, where are you?" Thinking that she'd gone inside, he went to the sliding doors that were off the dining room and looked through the glass. There was no sign of her.

Telling the boys to stay in the backyard, Daniel opened one of the sliding doors and called to Diane. "Did Susy come in?" he asked when she came out of the kitchen.

Diane frowned. "No. Isn't she playing there in the backyard?"

"She was, but Adam and Caleb got in a fight, and I went over to stop it. When I turned back, Susy wasn't there anymore."

"What?!" Diane exclaimed in alarm. "Where's Paul? He was supposed to be watching them."

"He and his dad went inside. He asked me to watch the kids." Daniel started to get worried. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Underwood. I only looked away for a couple minutes."

"Paul!" Diane cried as she hurried to the sliding doors. He stepped out of the master bedroom. "Susy's missing. How could leave the children alone?!"

"I left Daniel to watch them."

"He's only eight years old!" Diane yelled, furious, and rushed out the door, calling Susy's name.

As Diane's and Paul's mothers searched the house to see if Susy had snuck in, Daniel and the other adults looked outside, calling the name of the little girl. Caleb and Adam had been sent into the house. Diane had told Daniel to go in, too, but the boy refused to go. He was filled with guilt and fear. This was all his fault. He'd been given the responsibility to watch the kids, and he'd messed up. What if something terrible had happened to Susy?

As the adults searched out front, Daniel got the idea that maybe the girl was hiding somewhere in the backyard. He went back there and started looking under things, any place that a four-year-old could possibly fit. And then he spotted something. Hidden behind the bare branches of a bush was a hole in the wood fence. It wasn't a big hole, but it might be big enough for a small child to get through.

Daniel went to the hole and peered through. On the other side was a little stream. There was no sign of Susy, and Daniel was just about to pull back when he caught sight of little footprints in the snow. Susy _had_ gone through.

Daniel ran full speed to the front yard.

"She went through the fence in back!" he called out.

With the adults hurrying after him, he returned to the hole.

"Oh my God!" Diane cried. "The stream is back there. What if she fell in?"

"Now, Diane, don't panic," Paul said. "She's probably fine."

Diane got down on her hands and knees before the hole. "Susy? Susy, answer Mommy."

For a few seconds, there was no reply, then they heard a little voice call out. "Mommy, there's a shiny thing."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm sure it's very pretty, Susy," Diane said, "but you need to come back inside now."

"No. I want the shiny thing. Can you come help me get it?"

Paul sighed. "I'll go get her. I'll have to go over the Carltons' chainlink fence. I can't get over this wooden one. It's too high."

As Paul left to go next door, Diane told Susy not to move, to stay right where she was and that Paul was coming and would help her get the shiny thing.

"I think I can fit through the hole, Mrs. Underwood," Daniel said. "Then I can get her."

"You stay put, boy," responded Paul's father. "If you'd done as you were told, this mess wouldn't have happened."

Guilt and pain crashed down upon Daniel, and he began hugging himself, eyes on the ground.

"This isn't Daniel's fault," Diane snapped at her father-in-law, "and don't you dare say it is. You and Paul were supposed to be watching the kids. What were you thinking leaving an eight-year-old outside alone to look after three other children?"

Diane's words should have made Daniel feel better, but they didn't. Yes, he was only eight, but he still should have looked after the kids better. This _was_ his fault.

With that thought in mind, Daniel squeezed through the hole before anyone could stop him. Ignoring Diane's call, he started looking for Susy, following her tracks in the snow. When he finally saw her several yards farther upstream, he froze in place, his heart racing. Susy was squatting right at the edge of the stream, her eyes on the "shiny thing", which appeared to be a broken silver Christmas tree ornament and some tinsel, caught on a branch sticking out of the water.

Before Daniel could call out to her, the little girl reached for the ornament. In the next instant, her feet slipped, and she fell into the stream.

"Susy!" Daniel screamed. Not thinking twice, he jumped in after her. The icy water shocked his system, taking his breath away. It was only around two feet deep, but the current was fast and threatened to knock him off his feet. For the much smaller Susy, it was deadly, and she was being swept downstream, right toward Daniel.

Fighting to keep his footing, the boy reached out to grab her as she was carried past. He got hold of her arm, but Susy's weight pulled him off his feet, and the frigid water closed over Daniel's head. A moment of sheer terror gripped the boy, and, in that moment, he knew that he didn't want to die, not even if dying meant that he'd see his parents again.

Daniel struggled to the surface, coughing and choking. He still had hold of Susy's arm and pulled her to him. A partially submerged tree limb hanging out over the stream was their salvation. Daniel desperately grabbing onto it and, somehow, managed to pull himself to his feet. It took all his strength to hold onto the little girl and get out of the water.

When Paul reached the two kids, they were both on the ground, coughing and shivering violently, soaked to the skin. He stripped off his coat and wrapped it around Susy.

"Daniel? Come on, Daniel, we need to get you inside," his said anxiously, knowing that the kids needed to get warmed up right away to avoid hypothermia.

"C-c-c-cold," the boy said through chattering teeth.

"I know, Daniel. We need to get those wet clothes off you. Can you stand up?"

With the man's help, Daniel struggled to his feet, feeling colder by the second. With one of Paul's arms supporting him, the three of them made it to the hole in the fence.

"I need some help here," Paul said to the people waiting on the other side. "It looks like they fell into the stream. They're sopping wet and as cold as icicles."

Horrified, Diane helped pull first Daniel, then Susy through the hole. As Paul headed back to where he'd gotten over the fence, the children were hustled inside and stripped of their clothing. Daniel was too cold to be embarrassed. He was dried thoroughly, dressed in his flannel pajamas, bundled up in several blankets, and put in front of the lit fireplace.

"Are they hypothermic?" Diane asked in a panic. She was sitting on the hearth, holding Susy tightly. "Do we need to call an ambulance?"

Paul's father, who'd grown up in northern Michigan, shook his head. "They'll be fine. We got them dry and warmed up in time. If they'd been out there a few more minutes, it would have been a different story."

Diane's mother hurried over with cups of hot chocolate. Still shivering a little, Daniel took his, uttering a very muted, "Thank you." He took a sip of the liquid, feeling its warmth flow through him.

He'd been drinking it for several seconds when he felt Diane's hand touch his head.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice a little unsteady.

He nodded in reply.

"Did you and Susy fall into the stream?"

"Susy fell in. There was an ornament caught on a branch in the water, and she tried to get it. She fell in, and I jumped in to get her."

Diane stared at him, her mind filled with images of what would have happened to Susy if the boy hadn't been there and bravely risked his own life to save her.

"Daniel, you saved Susy's life," she said in a hushed voice. "If you hadn't done what you did, she'd have been swept downstream and drowned."

A second after that, Daniel was being held in a tight embrace, Diane whispering "thank you" over and over again.

Daniel and Susy were put to bed for a nap a few minutes later, the little girl already having fallen asleep. As she tucked him in, Diane placed a kiss on Daniel's forehead.

"What you did was so very brave, Daniel," she said.

Daniel didn't feel brave. "It was my fault that she was there. I didn't watch her good enough."

"No, Daniel," Diane stated firmly. "This was not your fault. Paul should not have expected you to keep an eye on all three kids by yourself out there."

Daniel's eyes filled with tears. "But I should have been able to."

"Daniel, you're only eight years old, just two years older than Caleb. I know you tried your best to watch them, and I bet if Caleb and Adam hadn't gotten into that fight, everything would have been fine. Even an adult can have a hard time watching over three little kids. I know I do. Inside, it's not so bad because they can get into less trouble, but outside. . . ." Diane shook her head. "This was Paul and Nigel's fault, not yours. They are the adults and should have known better. So, I don't want you feeling guilty anymore."

Daniel said nothing as Diane gave him a brief hug, then left the room. Despite her words, he still felt responsible and that he'd let everybody down. Susy could have died, and it would have been his fault.

Burying his face in the pillow, Daniel closed his eyes. Several minutes later, he finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Dinner was served later than originally planned because of the interruption caused by the near catastrophe. Daniel wasn't very hungry and ate little, remaining silent as everyone else talked. Susy had completely recovered from the event and was wolfing down the slices of ham on her plate, it being one of her favorite foods.

Diane glanced often at the boy. She could tell that, in spite of her words, he was still blaming himself for what happened. She was so angry at Paul and his father. Not the kind woman who normally liked confrontations, the thought of what could so easily have happened had raised her ire. She could have lost her precious Susy today. She could have lost Daniel as well. Even though the depth of the stream was never more than a couple of feet at this time of year, it was fast-moving and could have swept the boy under. And then there was the temperature of the water. If Daniel hadn't managed to get himself and Susy out as quickly as he did, they would very rapidly have gotten hypothermia and then drowned.

As Diane thought about what happened, she started getting scared. If Social Services found out, they'd take all the kids away from her and probably never let her foster again. It would just about kill her if that happened.

Later that night, as she watched Daniel climb into bed, she approached him.

"Daniel, I . . . I need ask you a favor."

"What?"

"I need you to keep secret what happened today. If the people at Social Services found out, they'd get mad and probably take you, Susy and the other kids away."

That worried Daniel. "They would?"

"I don't know that for sure, but, yes, I think they would. They'd say it was mine and Paul's fault and that we're not good enough to take care of you."

"But it wasn't your fault at all!"

"Even so, that's what they'd say."

"Then I won't tell anybody, not ever," Daniel declared. "I promise."

Diane hugged him. "Thank you." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Sweet dreams, Daniel." She smiled at him. "You're my hero."

"I am?"

"Yes, you are. You saved Susy's life today. That is something you can always be proud of. Always."

* * *

Daniel was feeling better the next morning, though a trace of guilt still lingered deep in his heart. He had fun watching the other three kids tear open the wrappings covering their presents, waiting until they were done before opening his gift. He was pleased to see that his present was not only a gift certificate to a local book store but also his very own library card and a beautiful bookmark with a picture of King Tut on it.

"We figured that you'd much rather pick out your own books than have us pick out books for you," Diane said with a smile, seeing the look on his face.

"Thank you, Mrs. Underwood. This is great. I already know what books I'm going to get. And the library card is great, too. I never had my own library card before. And I love the bookmark. Thank you, too, Mister Underwood."

The man nodded faintly.

Daniel got up and went to the back of the tree, which was where he'd hidden the gifts he'd made for his foster parents. Diane opened hers to find that the boy had made a rose from the modeling clay, painting it red. The flower was far from perfect in form, but it was perfect to her.

"Oh, Daniel. It's simply lovely. Roses are my favorite flower."

"I know. I heard you say that. I tried to make it look like a picture in the encyclopedia, but I couldn't do it very well."

Diane gave him a tight squeeze. "It's beautiful, Daniel. I'll keep it forever."

Pleased by the comment, Daniel turned to his foster father, who was staring in surprise at his gift. It was supposed to be a car like the one the man was fixing up, but Daniel didn't think he'd done a very good job.

"This, um . . . this is very nice, Daniel," Paul said, still looking surprised. He met the boy's eyes. "Thank you."

"Let me see," Paul's father said. His son handed it to him, and he studied it critically. "Is this supposed to be that junk of a Corvette you've been working on for the past two years? If so, the front end's too short and slopes too much, and—"

"Shut up, Dad," Paul snapped.

Shocked, Nigel stared at him. Then he frowned severely. "I didn't raise you to speak like that to me."

"I don't care." Paul snatched the car back from his father and turned to Daniel. "Thank you, Daniel. I like it. I'll put it right up on the mantle so that I can see it every day."

Daniel's head ducked shyly. He hadn't really expected Mister Underwood to like it and was happy that he'd been wrong.

Nigel got to his feet. "I'm going out for a smoke." Without another word, he grabbed his coat and went out the front door.

Paul's mother turned to her son. "Paul, you should apologize to your father."

"Not this time, Mom. He was being an as . . . a jerk. He's _always_ a jerk. I just never stood up to him before. Diane's right. What happened yesterday _was_ my fault. Dad and I shouldn't have left them alone. Susy and Daniel could have died yesterday, and it would have been my fault. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?" Paul shook his head. "No, you probably don't. After all, during most of my childhood, I was either in some boarding school or at summer camp. You and Dad barely had anything to do with raising me," he looked at the four kids, "and I've been doing the same thing all this time that we've been foster parents. I guess it really is like what they say. 'Like father, like son.'"

Getting to his feet, Paul strode out of the room, toward the master bedroom. Stunned, Diane just sat there for a moment, then hurried after him.

Her cheeks pink and looking like she'd bitten into something sour, Paul's mother also left, going off to the guest room.

Now alone with the kids, Diane's mother smiled brightly at them. "So, who wants pancakes?"

"Me!" chorused three little voices, Daniel being the only one not to answer.

"Well, then let's go fix some, my little sweetie pies." The woman got to her feet. "You, too, Daniel. I'm sure you'll find your appetite by the time the pancakes are done. We can even put chocolate chips in them."

* * *

By the time the pancakes were done, Daniel was, indeed, hungry.

Not as much talking went on during breakfast as it had during the meal the night before, Paul's parents remaining mostly silent. Diane's mother almost made up for it, though, chatting animatedly.

"I would simply _love_ to take all you little darlings home with me," she said to the kids at one point.

Daniel didn't say anything to that. The woman was very nice, but he wasn't sure he could take constantly being hugged, and kissed, and . . . what was the word? Doted on. He liked being hugged, but she did it all the time! If it wasn't for the fact that there were three other kids for her to give affection to, Daniel thought that she might have squished him by now from hugging too much. The two other boys were being overwhelmed by it, too, and had wriggled away from her more than once. Only Susy appeared to be completely enjoying it.

Daniel was glad when Jacob arrived to pick him up. The moment the two of them walked in the door of the Carter home, Sam was grabbing Daniel's hand and showing him all the gifts she got. Mark was excitedly displaying his as well.

"Mom and Dad said that this was just the little present from them," Sam said as she showed him one thing. "They said there's something else but that it would be an even better surprise if we waited for you to be here. That was _forever_ ago. I wanted Dad to go get you sooner, but he said we had to wait and let you have time with your foster family. So, what did _you_ get?"

Daniel told her about the gifts from his foster parents and the one Diane's mother gave him. "I got ones from the Greers, too, but I haven't opened them yet. I want to wait until they come back from New York. They're going to wait to open the presents I made them, too."

"You made them presents? That's cool, and I think it's neat that Mister Greer and his wife got you presents. I never got a Christmas present from a teacher, except in first grade, the teacher gave all the kids in class little gifts."

"I got a present from Kenny, too. I wanted to open it when I was with him, but he said he'd rather have me open it when he wasn't there, so I opened it this morning." Daniel smiled. "It was a book on birds that live in Africa, including the ones in Egypt."

Jacob and Laura walked up with a smile. "So, Sam. Are you and Daniel ready to see your presents?"

Daniel looked at them. "You got me a present?"

"We sure did. We hope you like it. Now, both of you close your eyes. And no peeking!"

Getting excited, the two kids shut their eyes and waited. A good half a minute passed before they were told that they could look.

Sam and Daniel both gasped upon seeing two bicycles standing side by side, a purple girl's bike and a blue boy's bike.

"Oh, wow!" Sam exclaimed, leaping to her feet and running over to get a better look at her bike. Daniel remained sitting where he was, staring, stunned, at his bicycle.

"You okay, Danny?" Jacob asked.

"You got me a bike," he said in disbelief, overwhelmed.

"Uh huh. I'm afraid that we couldn't afford to get you a new one, but it's in good shape, and I made sure it works right."

Daniel got to his feet and slowly approached the bike. He touched it as if afraid that it would vanish.

"I never had a bike before," he murmured. "I had a tricycle for a while when I was really little, but I never had a bicycle. Mom and Dad said it would be too hard to transport all over." Blue eyes gazed up at Jacob and Laura with deep gratitude. "Thank you."

The woman pulled him into a gentle embrace. "You're welcome, sweetheart. We're so glad that you like it."

"When the weather's better, we'll have to see about teaching you how to ride it," Jacob said with a smile.

"And, in the summer, we can go riding together!" Sam said excitedly. She ran over to the tree and got a wrapped, tube-shaped package, handing it to Daniel. "I got this for you."

Mark handed him another package. "And this is my present for you."

Daniel slowly unwrapped Sam's gift first. He was surprised and pleased to see that it was a big poster of the Pyramids of Giza at sunrise.

"You can hang it up in your room," the girl said.

"Thank you. I really like it a lot."

Mark's gift was a Spider-Man wall clock.

"You said that you liked Spider-Man the best, so I thought you might like that," the older boy said.

"I do. Thanks."

Daniel went to his backpack. Carrying it over, he started toying with the strap.

"I didn't have enough money to buy presents for everybody," he said in a low voice, certain now that his handmade gifts weren't nearly good enough.

"That's all right, Daniel," Jacob assured the boy, seeing that he looked a little sad. "Just you being here with us is good enough."

Daniel reached in and started pulling out packages, handing them to the four people one at a time. "I . . . I made these. They're not very good."

The members of the Carter family all sat down and began unwrapping their gifts. Mark was the first one to get his open and stared in surprise at the handmade figure of Batman.

"Wow, this is cool," he said with a grin.

"You . . . you like it?" Daniel said uncertainly.

"Yeah, it's great."

Sam finished opening hers to find an astronaut inside, its spacesuit like the ones the Apollo astronauts wore.

"Oh, wow!" she said. "I love it!" She jumped up and gave Daniel a hug.

"Oh, my," Laura said, having just opened her gift. It was a dolphin. Apparently, Daniel had noticed the small collection in the curio cabinet and learned that it belonged to Laura. "Oh, Daniel. It's beautiful." She went to her knees and embraced the child. "Thank you so much."

Jacob was the last to open his box. Surprised, he stared at the contents, then lifted it out. It was a fighter jet.

"Daniel, this . . . this is wonderful," he said, deeply touched.

"Does it look okay?" the boy asked. "I didn't know what kinds of planes you fly, so I went by pictures in the encyclopedia and made one that's kind of like some of them."

Jacob smiled at him. No, the plane wasn't a perfect representation of a real jet fighter, but, to the captain, it was better than any scale model he could have ever bought and made himself. "It's great, Daniel. I couldn't ask for a better present." He looked around at all the gifts the boy had created with his own hands, thinking of all the hours Daniel must have spent making them. This was far better than any store purchased gifts could be.

He held out his arms. "Come here."

The boy went to him and was pulled into a big hug.

"These are way better than any presents you could have bought, Daniel," he said.

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "I wish now that I'd made your present instead of buying one."

"No, I like my poster," Daniel insisted. "I can't wait to hang it up. Then, every day, I can look at it and think about Egypt."

Christmas dinner took place at two o'clock and was quite a boisterous affair. Accidents were, therefore, bound to happen. Daniel ended up getting milk all over the front of his shirt when Sam accidentally jostled his elbow while he was drinking. Laura told him to go in the bathroom and use a wet washcloth on it. The boy did so, taking his shirt off to make it easier to wipe the spot. He'd been rubbing with the wash cloth for a minute or so when there was a tap on the door, and Jacob asked if he could come in. Getting permission, he came into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"How's it coming?" he asked.

"Okay. It's really wet, though."

"We can hang it in front of the fireplace to dry. You can borrow one of Mark's shirts in the meantime. It'll be big on you, but it'll just be temporary."

Daniel turned to face him, and Jacob stilled, his eyes fastening upon a rather large bruise on Daniel's upper right arm, near his shoulder.

"Daniel, how did you get that bruise?"

"I had an accident," the boy replied quickly, afraid that Jacob would question him further about the injury, which he'd gotten when he hit the tree limb that saved him and Susy from being swept further downstream.

Jacob's alarm bells started ringing at the hasty reply. He knew that abused children often claimed that their injuries were caused by falls or other accidents.

The captain stared at the child. "What kind of accident?"

Daniel didn't look at him, his gaze shifting about, an expression of panic starting to form on his face. The boy's reaction convinced Jacob that he was right. That bastard Paul Underwood had hurt Daniel. With fury starting to kindle in his belly, he knelt down and gently took Daniel's arms.

"Daniel, did your foster father hurt you?"

"No!" Daniel cried. "It was an accident!"

Jacob didn't believe him. "Daniel, I know that maybe you're afraid to tell me because you think that he'll hurt you again if you do, but I won't let that happen. I promise."

"Mister Underwood didn't hurt me," Daniel insisted. "I swear."

"Then tell me what happened."

Daniel was staring fixedly at the floor, his shoulders hunching. "I can't. I promised I wouldn't tell."

_'Damn,'_ Jacob cursed internally. If this wasn't a case of child abuse, then, at the very least, it was a case of irresponsibility on the part of one or both of the boy's foster parents. Something had happened to Daniel that the Underwoods didn't want anyone to know.

Jacob's voice firmed. "Daniel, I want you to tell me what happened."

"Susy fell in the water," the boy responded in a little voice, feeling horrible about breaking his promise. "Me and-and the other kids were outside playing. Mister Underwood and his dad were out there, too, but they went back inside, and Mister Underwood told me to watch the other kids. B-but Caleb and Adam got in a fight, and I went to stop it, and, when I turned back, I couldn't see Susy anymore. She'd gone through a little hole in the back fence. Mister Underwood went around to the neighbor's yard to go over their fence and get her, but _I_ wanted to get her, so I went through the hole, too. Susy was right on the edge of a stream that's back there. There . . . there was a broken Christmas tree ornament on a branch in the water, and she tried to get it. She fell in, and I jumped in right away to get her. The water was really cold, and fast, and, when I grabbed her, I got knocked off my feet and went under the water, and . . . and I was afraid I was going to die. But there was a tree limb, and I grabbed hold of it, and that's how I got the bruise."

Jacob stared at the boy, chilled to the bone. Daniel had come very close to dying yesterday. If not for that limb, he and Susy would likely have drowned.

The captain gathered the boy into his arms and held him tight. "Thank God you're all right," he murmured. He pulled away slightly. "Is Susy okay?"

Daniel nodded, not looking at him. "It was my fault."

"Like hell it was," Jacob growled, not caring that he'd just cursed in front of the child. "Your foster father should have known better than to leave you to watch all three of your foster siblings all by yourself. That was too much responsibility for him to lay on you, especially with you kids being outside, where accidents and other things can so easily happen. I have half a mind to march right over there and have a talk with him."

"No, you can't!" Daniel cried. "I promised Mrs. Underwood that I wouldn't tell anybody. If the people at Social Services find out, they'll take all of us away from the Underwoods and give us to other families, and Mrs. Underwood will be really said, and-and I don't want to be given to another foster family."

Jacob frowned. Daniel was right. If Social Services discovered what happened, they'd likely deem the Underwoods unfit to be foster parents and take the kids away. Though the captain agreed that Paul Underwood really shouldn't be a foster parent, Diane did a good job of caring for the four kids in her charge pretty much all on her own. He'd hate to see her punished for the stupidity of her husband.

As far as he knew, this had been an isolated incident. Hopefully, Paul Underwood had learned his lesson, and something like this would never happen again.

"All right, Daniel," he said. "As long as something else doesn't happen, I won't tell anyone except Laura about this, and your foster mother never has to know that I forced you into breaking your promise." He caressed the boy's hair. "Okay?"

Daniel nodded faintly.

Jacob smiled. "That was quite heroic, you know, jumping in to save Susy like that." His smile widened. "You deserve a medal."

Daniel shook his head. "No, I don't."

Jacob lost his smile. "Yes, Daniel, you do," he insisted. "You risked your life to save someone, not giving a single thought to your own welfare. That makes you a hero."

The boy said nothing, staring down at the floor.

Gazing at the child who, at only eight years old, had already unselfishly risked his life to save another, Jacob had to wonder what other heroic deeds this boy might do in his lifetime.

Only time would tell. 


	23. Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Jacob got to his feet and tousled Daniel's hair. "I'll go get that shirt for you."

He fetched one of his son's T-shirts and helped the boy put it on. They then hung Daniel's shirt in front of the fireplace so that it would dry quickly.

Jacob's mood had been sobered a bit by the knowledge of how very close they'd all come to losing Daniel. Laura noticed the change in his demeanor and asked him about it when they had a moment of privacy.

"I'll tell you tonight, after the kids are in bed," he said.

The remainder of his day with the Carters was very enjoyable for Daniel, among the best he'd had since the death of his parents. He didn't want it to end, but, at last, the time came for him to be taken back home – no matter how much Sam objected.

At the Underwoods, Diane took Jacob out to the garage so that he could put the bicycle there. She'd already known about the bike, Laura having called her before purchasing it to make sure it was okay to get Daniel one.

"Thank you for getting that for him," Laura said. "I wish we could have gotten him one, but we just didn't have the money."

"Well, we got it at a pretty good price, although the look on Daniel's face when he saw it would have made any price we paid worthwhile."

Jacob studied the woman. For a brief moment, he was tempted to reveal that he knew about what happened, but he'd told Daniel that Diane would never know that the boy had to break his promise to her.

"Well, I need to get back," he said instead. "I'm sure that either Laura or I will be coming to get Daniel for visits several more times before Christmas vacation ends. Sam is now impatient for the weather to get better so that Daniel can learn how to ride his bike and come over to our place whenever he feels like it."

Laura smiled. "It's good that the base isn't too terribly far from here. Thank you again, Captain Carter."

* * *

Paul's parents had left for home while Daniel was visiting the Carters, so that evening was free of tension. Diane's mother left on a plane the next morning, and everyone went to the airport to see her off, except for Paul, who was at work.

Daniel knew that Quentin and Kathleen would be returning that afternoon and couldn't wait for them to arrive. He was dying of curiosity about the gifts they'd gotten him and had been tempted more than once not to wait for their return to open the presents.

At last, the doorbell rang, and Daniel ran to answer it, certain that it was them.

"Hey there!" Quentin greeted with a big smile. He and his wife stepped into the house. "So, did you have a good Christmas?"

Daniel nodded his head. "The Carters got me a bicycle!"

"They did? Wow, that's some present. I bet you can't wait to ride it."

"Yeah, but I don't know how to ride, so I need to learn."

"Ah, well, that's not hard at all. You'll be pedaling with the best of them in no time."

"Did you have fun with your family in New York?" the boy asked.

"Yes, we did," Kathleen replied. "It was a full house." She smiled. "Quentin told everyone all about you."

"He did?"

"I sure did," the teacher responded, "and they were all very impressed." Seeing the look of embarrassment on the boy's face, he smiled. "Come on. Let's go to your bedroom and see about opening those presents."

Daniel wanted Quentin and Kathleen to open their gifts first, so they did so. Kathleen's present made her laugh with delight. It was a cat.

"I didn't know what the cat you had looked like, so I just went by a picture in the encyclopedia," Daniel explained.

"I love it, Daniel. It's perfect. Thank you." The woman gave him a hug.

When Quentin opened his present and saw what it was, he felt his throat tighten. It was a gold-painted plaque with columns that looked Roman or Greek on either side, vines painted on them. Carved in the plaque in Daniel's childish yet precise lettering were the words, "The best teacher in the whole world."

"Daniel," Quentin said, his voice catching. He looked at the boy. "Thank you so much. This is beautiful. It is one of the best gifts I've ever gotten. Ever." He pulled the boy into a long, tight hug. He was blinking back tears by the time he released Daniel.

Quentin smiled. "Your turn now. Open the lightweight box first."

Daniel did so and found an issue of an archeology magazine.

"That's just the first one, Daniel," Kathleen told him. "We bought you a one-year subscription. Once a month for the next year, a new edition will come right to your door. Next year, one of your gifts will be that we renew the subscription, if you'd like us to."

Daniel gazed at the magazine with bright eyes. "Wow. Thank you, Mister and Mrs. Greer. This is really great. I'll get to read all about new discoveries right after they happen." He picked up his second present.

"That one was a little harder to get," Quentin told him, almost holding his breath.

Daniel unwrapped the gift. Inside, he found a book entitled, "Beneath the Sands of Egypt: An Archeological Treasure Trove". And then he saw the names of the authors, and his whole body went still.

"M-my mom and dad wrote this?" he whispered.

"Yes," Quentin replied softly, "a few years ago, when you were around two years old. Take a look at the page with the dedication, at the front."

Daniel opened the book and found the dedication.

"To our beloved son, Daniel, who is the real treasure in our lives."

All at once, Daniel began to cry. Quentin and Kathleen wrapped their arms around him and held him close. It was quite a while before the tears stopped falling.

Daniel sniffled, wiping his face. "I never knew Mom and Dad wrote a book."

"I didn't either," Quentin said, "but I figured that there was a chance they did, so I tracked down some acquaintances of your parents in the archeological community. They told me about the book, and, when I said that I wanted it as a gift for you, they promised to find a copy. The book arrived in the mail just a few days ago. We were getting worried that it wouldn't arrive in time for Christmas."

Daniel caressed the cover of the book with loving, reverent fingers, his gaze going often to the place at the bottom, where his parents' names were written in gold letters. Then his eyes lifted to the two adults.

"Thank you," he said softly, the two words so heartfelt and full of emotion that they made the couple give him another hug.

Quentin ruffled his hair gently. "You are very welcome, Daniel."

* * *

The remainder of the holiday vacation passed quickly, Daniel spending a great deal of time with both the Carters and the Greers. He got to spend another day in his teacher's private library, and Kathleen let him help her bake an angel food cake, showing him how to separate the egg whites from the yokes. She even let him try to do one, though he failed to keep the yoke from breaking.

Daniel was allowed to stay up past midnight on New Year's Eve so that he could ring in the new year with the Underwoods. After the countdown had concluded, and everyone's shouted "Happy New Year" had faded, Daniel glanced over at his foster father. Ever since the incident in the stream, Paul Underwood had clearly been making an effort to be a little more involved in the lives of the children who lived in his house. He was still far from being an attentive parent, but at least he talked to the kids sometimes and occasionally showed interest in what one of them was doing. He even glanced through the book Daniel's parents had written, telling the boy that it was pretty cool that his mom and dad actually wrote a book.

Diane was delighted with the change in her husband and fervently hoped that it was just the beginning. That joy, however, could not dim the sorrow in her heart for what would soon be happening.

It was on the day before the end of the holiday vacation, when Paul wasn't home and the younger kids were taking their naps, that Daniel heard a sound coming from the master bedroom. He drew closer to the closed door and realized that what he heard was crying.

"Mrs. Underwood, are you okay?" Daniel asked, worried that she might be hurt.

There were some other sounds, then the woman replied in a falsely cheerful voice, "Yes. Yes, I'm fine, Daniel. I'll be out in a minute."

Daniel went back to the living room and sat on the couch. It was a good minute before Diane came out. She headed straight to the kitchen and began wiping the counters even though they were already clean.

Daniel walked up to her. "I heard you crying."

Diane's movements halted. She let out a soft sigh, then turned to him. "I suppose that you were going to have to be told soon anyway."

Daniel started to get worried. "Told what?"

His foster mother sat down with him at the dining table.

"Caleb . . . Caleb isn't going to be living with us anymore," the woman said with a slight tremor in her voice.

"Why not?"

"Because Social Services wants him to go to a new family."

Daniel began getting upset. "Did they find out about what happened?"

"No, Daniel. This has nothing to do with that. I've known for three weeks that they were going to be taking him after the holidays."

"But I don't understand why he has to go to a new foster family. Why can't he stay here till he's grown up?"

"Oh, Daniel. It's complicated and something I can't explain to you. I don't agree with it either, but it's not up to me to decide. I have no say in it."

"But that's not right. You should get to keep Caleb if you want to. Adam is going to be really lonely. He and Caleb play with each other all the time."

Diane sighed again. "I know. It's almost going to be like losing a brother for him."

Seeing tears return to her eyes, Daniel immediately got off his chair and wrapped his arms around her. He wished that he could tell Social Services how mean they were for taking kids away from foster families that loved them.

Diane gave Daniel a watery smile and wiped her face.

"How about if we make some fudge brownies?" she suggested. "I feel like I need lots of chocolate to help cheer me up."

"Chocolate cheers people up?"

"Absolutely."

They made two pans of brownies, consuming two squares apiece while they were still warm and gooey.

A while later, Daniel watched Caleb and Adam play, blissfully unaware that they wound soon be parted forever. Diane was watching as well, her heart aching. Her gaze focused on Caleb as she thought about the reason why he was being taken from her. A year ago, the boy had been with another foster family. For nearly twelve months, things had gone quite well. Then, one day, without warning, Caleb suddenly turned violent. Less than six years old, he'd struck out at both inanimate objects and his foster parents. At the time, no one understood why.

It wasn't until several days after the boy was removed from the home that the truth was revealed. Caleb had been taken away from his birth mother because she was a drug user and had ended up in prison for a minor crime. She spent only three month in jail, but was told that she would not be allowed to have her son back until she could kick her drug habit, get a steady job, and prove that she could be a fit mother. On the day that Caleb had been taken from her, she promised that, in just one year, she'd come to get him, had even given the boy a specific date. Every time she was allowed to visit him during that year, she made the promise that they'd be a family again on that day. Throughout that whole year, Caleb had been secretly marking a calendar, waiting for the special day to arrive. When that day came and went with no sign of his mother coming to get him, the boy reacted in violence.

For some reason, putting Caleb in a new foster family calmed him down, and he settled into the Underwood household just fine. A month later, Caleb received a phone call from his mother. She apologized for not being able to come get him and told him that he needed to give her another year. Just one more year, she'd said, and they'd be together again.

That second date was now just a few days away, and Social Services knew that, again, Caleb's mother – who was still struggling with her addiction – wouldn't be coming to get him. The boy's caseworker feared that, once that date was reached, he would again react with violence. The decision to move him was an effort at prevention. He wouldn't be put in a new foster home until after the anniversary had passed.

Diane didn't agree with the caseworker's viewpoint. She thought that just because Caleb had reacted like that once didn't mean that it would happen again and that, being forewarned this time, they could surely do something to keep it from happening. But she understood why the decision had been made. First of all, the welfare of the other children in Diane's care had to be considered. There was no telling if the boy would strike out at them, too. Secondly, if it _did_ happen again, Caleb would be extremely hard to place from then on. Not many foster families would be willing to take a child with a tendency toward sudden violence, and the older he got, the more damage he could do.

All Diane could do now was hope that Caleb would be all right, that, someday, his mother would straighten out her life and give the boy the stable home he deserved. And if that could never happen, then Diane hoped that he'd find a permanent home with a family who loved him.

* * *

Because he was would be starting in a new class, Diane took Daniel to school the next day. The boy was terribly nervous, worried that he wouldn't like Mrs. Mason and that the other kids in the class would be mean.

Diane took him all the way to the classroom. Standing at the blackboard was a woman with long blonde hair. She turned upon their entrance and smiled, her grey-green eyes lighting up.

"You must be Daniel," she said warmly. "I feel like I already know you. Mister Greer thinks very highly of you. He says that you're the smartest child he's ever had in his class."

Daniel looked away shyly.

"I hope that you'll enjoy being in my class, Daniel. Shall we go find you a desk?"

Mrs. Mason placed Daniel at a desk in the front row, which he wasn't very happy about, that is until she told him that Sam would be at the one next to his.

"Now, I'm going to be trusting the two of you to behave and not talk to each other during class," she said. "If it looks like there's going to be a problem, I'll have to separate you."

"We won't talk, Mrs. Mason," Daniel assured her. "I promise."

At that moment, Sam and Laura came in. Sam called Daniel's name in delight and ran up to hug him.

"Our first day together in the same class!" she said excitedly, bouncing up and down and taking him along for the ride. "This is going to be so neat!"

"We get to sit together," Daniel told her.

"We do? Wow, that's great."

Laura interrupted. "Sam, don't you think you should come say hello to your new teacher?"

Embarrassed, Sam apologized and greeted Mrs. Mason.

"Something tells me that you two are going to keep me hopping," the teacher said with a smile. "I also understand that you're going to be studying together so that you can each help the other in your weakest subjects."

Sam nodded. "I'm going to help Daniel with math and science, and he's going to help me with history and maybe English."

"Well, that sounds like a great plan, so how about if we make it official?"

"Official?" Daniel asked in puzzlement.

"Yes. You'll be study partners, and when we're doing science experiments, you'll also be lab partners, in a way, although we don't actually go to a lab. The experiments are all done here in the classroom. Oh, and, by the way, the science fair is coming up in March, and fourth graders are allowed to enter."

Sam's eye became nearly incandescent. "Science fair?! Oh, wow!"

Mrs. Mason nodded, smiling at the girl's enthusiasm. "I know that you're not going to have as much time to do your project as the rest of the class since they've been working on theirs for a couple of months now, but I'm sure you'll do well."

Daniel didn't look very thrilled. "Does everyone have to enter?"

"No, it's completely voluntary."

"Can me and Daniel do something together?" Sam asked.

"Hmm. I'll have to check on the rules, but, yes, I think that's allowed just as long as you don't combine two projects together."

A few more kids came into the classroom, ending the conversation. Laura and Diane said goodbye and left.

The kids who'd just come in kept staring at Daniel and Sam, occasionally whispering things to each other. The best friends tried to ignore it as they put their things away in their desks.

Soon, the classroom began filling up, every child that came in staring at the two younger kids. Daniel, who'd had to deal with the same thing when he transferred to Mister Greer's class, kept his head down most of the time. Sam, on the other hand, stared defiantly right back at every kid.

It was a relief to both eight-year-olds when the bell rang and class began. The relief for Daniel was short-lived, however, when Mrs. Mason introduced him and Sam to the class. Fortunately, she didn't make them say anything.

The morning went well. It was quite a different experience for Daniel, who'd gotten used to the rest of the class being given different work than him. Now, he was doing the same work as everyone else, including the English problems and the things they studied in the history book. Didn't Mister Greer say that he was supposed to get more advanced work in those subjects? He already knew all this stuff.

At lunchtime, Daniel and Sam went looking for Kenny and Nathan in the cafeteria and found them standing in line. After they'd all gotten their lunches, they sat down together at a table.

"What's it like being in fourth grade?" Kenny asked.

"Okay," Sam replied.

"All the other kids stared at us," Daniel said.

"Oh, hey. Thanks for the present, Daniel," Nathan said with a grin. "I really liked it."

"I really liked mine, too," said Kenny. "You got all the colors almost perfect."

"Colors on what?" Sam asked curiously.

"He made a Painted Bunting for me. That's a kind of bird with lots of different colors."

"There was a great drawing of one in the encyclopedia," Daniel explained. "I wasn't sure I got all the colors right, though."

"No, it was great," Kenny insisted.

By the end of the school day, Daniel was not the only one who was a little puzzled. Sam, too, had been expecting to get some more advanced work to do, that being what she'd been told would happen.

As the rest of the kids left the room, Mrs. Mason called the two eight-year-olds to her desk.

"In case you've been wondering, I chose not to begin giving you advanced schoolwork in class immediately. It's probably going to take you a bit of time to fit in with the rest of your classmates, and I thought that if they saw me giving you special work, it would make things harder for you. So, is it going to be okay with you two if we wait a week or so before starting in on advanced class work?"

Sam nodded. "Sure, Mrs. Mason. That's okay."

Daniel agreed.

The teacher smiled. "Good." She handed folders to each of them. "That is some fifth grade level work for you to do at home. It's not due until the end of the week. Be sure to get your regular homework done first, though."

The two kids said goodbye and headed off to their lockers.

"We should talk about what we're going to do for our science project," Sam said as they walked. "We don't have a lot of time to make something really good."

"You should just do it yourself," Daniel told her. "I wouldn't be very much help."

"But I want to do it with you. It'll be so much more fun. And I bet you'll be lots of help."

Daniel chose not to argue with her even though he was certain she was wrong.

The next morning, as they waited at their desks for the bell to ring, Sam babbled away to Daniel about her different ideas on what they could do for the science fair, the boy insisting that the decision on what they did should be completely hers. He was in mid-sentence when the sight of a particular person coming into the room made his voice dry up, eyes widening in horror. Seeing his reaction, Sam turned to look.

"Oh, no!" she groaned. "I didn't know that _he'd_ be in our class."

The eyes of Bud Whitman came to rest on the two children, his face darkening with anger. Ever since the confrontation at the lockers, Bud had been leaving Daniel and Sam alone. Both kids had a bad feeling that was now going to end.

They were right. As they left the classroom for lunch that day, Bud fell in behind them and began taunting them, especially Daniel, whom he still insisted on calling a retard. Finally, Sam had had enough and whirled around to face him.

"If he's such a retard, then how come he's now in the same class as you, and you're three years older?!" she yelled.

There was a little snort of laughter off to the right, and Sam turned fiery eyes upon a boy with light brown hair and blue eyes. She recognized him as one of the kids in their class.

"She's got you there, Bud," the boy said in amusement. "Why do you keep calling him a retard when he's obviously smarter than you? If he's a retard, wouldn't that make you like a moron or something?"

Bud flushed darkly. "I ought to smash your face in, Kingston."

The other boy's expression hardened. "I'd like to see you try."

Seeing that, yet again, an audience had formed, Bud stormed away.

"Thanks," Sam said, smiling at the handsome boy.

"Sure. Bud thinks he's the toughest kid in school, but he pees his pants whenever someone his size stands up to him." The boy smiled again. "I'm Randy."

"I'm Sam, and this is Daniel."

"How old are you guys?"

"Eight," both kids answered at the same time.

Randy grinned. "What are you? Twins or something?"

"No. We're not even related," Sam replied. "We're just friends."

"So, how come you were both put in the fourth grade together?"

As they continued to the cafeteria, Sam explained everything.

"So, you guys are both some kind of geniuses," Randy said, getting in line with them. "That's cool."

Sam felt herself blush, though she didn't understand why. Her dad had called her a genius lots of times, yet it didn't make her feel all fluttery inside like this when _he_ said it or when he smiled at her.

After getting his food, Randy said goodbye with a smile, telling them that he'd see them around. He then went to join some friends at another table. Sam was disappointed that he wasn't going to sit with her and Daniel.

"He's really nice," she said to Daniel.

The boy nodded. "I'm glad that he made Bud go away." He frowned. "I wish I'd known that Bud was in our class."

"Yeah. He's going to be a real jerk. If he gets too mean, maybe Mrs. Mason will do something about it. Didn't Mister Parker say that he'd expel Bud if he picked a fight with any other kids?"

"Uh huh."

Kenny came over and joined them. As they all ate, Daniel noticed Sam's gaze going often to Randy. She was acting kind of funny, a little like that one girl in second grade had acted around him. He never did figure out why the girl had acted that way, and, now, Sam was doing the same thing, except that it appeared to be because of Randy. Maybe it was just some weird thing that all girls did sometimes.

When they returned to class, the first thing Sam did was look for Randy. He was sitting halfway back, toward the middle of the room. He noticed her gaze and waved. She waved back.

Daniel noticed the exchange, but didn't have time to think about it, for, at that moment, Bud came in, and the way he looked at Daniel made him more than a little nervous.

As he left school that afternoon, Daniel found himself glancing over his shoulder often, fearful that he'd see Bud there. He didn't relax until he was safely on the bus.

That evening, Sam told her parents all about Randy's "rescue", about how nice he seemed to be, that he was really cute, and that he thought it was really cool that she and Daniel were so smart. Jacob and Laura exchanged a glance, hiding smiles.

"So, it sounds like our daughter has her first crush," an amused Jacob said to his wife in their bedroom that night. "I'll have to keep an eye on this Randy character, him being an older man and all."

Laura chuckled. "She's starting earlier than I did. I didn't get my first crush until I was ten." She smiled. "Bobby Harrisburg. I swore I was going to marry him when I grew up."

Jacob took her into his arms. "Oh, you did, did you? Well, his loss is my gain." He smiled at her meaningfully. "And, on that same theme, how about a little hanky panky, Mrs. Carter?"

"Hmm. Well, you're no Bobby Harrisburg, but I suppose you'll have to do."

If Sam and Mark hadn't been asleep, they'd have wondered what the heck was going on in their parents' bedroom to make their mother laugh so much. 


	24. Chapter 24

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

There was a frown on Daniel's face as he walked from the bus to his house the next afternoon after school. Several times during class that day, he'd seen Sam glancing back to look at Randy, and, during lunch, he'd had to repeat himself more than once when she failed to hear what he was saying to her because she seemed to be more interested in watching what the older boy was doing. They were supposed to be planning what they were going to do for their science project during the lunch breaks, but they'd barely talked about it at all. Not that Daniel cared about the project. He really didn't want to do it. But the way that Sam was constantly looking at Randy and the fact that she seemed to be only interested in him now was starting to make Daniel feel upset. He shouldn't be upset. If Sam wanted to be friends with Randy, that should be okay with him. Yet it still hurt that she was devoting so much of her attention to him.

Daniel was glad that he'd be spending the lunch break for the next two days helping Kenny with his reading. Then it wouldn't matter if Sam spent the whole lunchtime staring at Randy.

Within seconds of entering his foster home, Daniel became aware of the silence. When he arrived home from school, the other kids were usually playing out in the living room or running around the whole house, Mrs. Underwood ever-present. But there was no sign of anyone today and no sounds at all.

Wondering where everyone was, Daniel headed for the hallway. At that moment, his foster mother came out of Caleb and Adam's room, quietly shutting the door. Daniel saw that her eyes were red from crying.

"What's wrong?" he asked anxiously. "Did they take Caleb today?" Caleb wasn't supposed to be taken until Saturday, and Daniel had wanted to say goodbye to the boy. Had he lost his chance?

Diane hugged him tightly. "Oh, Daniel. No, they didn't take Caleb. Something . . . something terrible has happened."

Daniel's concern turned to fear. "W-what happened?"

"Come sit down." Diane led Daniel to the couch and settled upon it beside him. She took a deep breath. "Caleb's caseworker came over a while ago. Caleb's mother . . . she died, Daniel."

Tears welled inside Daniel's eyes, understanding deep in his heart what his foster brother must be feeling right now. He'd known for months that Caleb had a real mother, one Daniel had been told couldn't take care of her son because she was too sick.

"Did she die because she was sick?" he asked in a little voice.

Diane's gaze fell, and she let out a sigh. "This is so hard to explain, Daniel. You're so young." She returned her eyes to his. "But maybe you should know so that you'll understand how horrible a thing this is. Caleb's mother had a problem. There's this terrible thing called heroin. It's a kind of drug. When people take it, it makes them feel good, but it's very, very dangerous, and, once they take it, they can't stop. They keep wanting more and more. Last night, Caleb's mother took too much, and it killed her."

"Why did she take too much?"

"The police don't know for sure. It may have been an accident."

Tears returned to Daniel's eyes. "Is Caleb an orphan now like me?"

"No, his father is still alive, but he's in prison and won't be getting out for many years."

"Is Social Services still going to take Caleb?"

"I don't know, Daniel. Right now, they're going to leave things as they are. The last thing that poor little boy needs is to be sent off to live with strangers." Diane's eyes filled with tears. "We had to tell him about his mother, and he just cried and cried. I just managed to get him to sleep. I asked a neighbor to come get Adam and Susy to watch them for a few hours. I called your therapist and canceled your appointment for today."

Daniel wished that there was something he could say or do to help Caleb, but what could he say? What could he do?

"Can I help?" he asked Diane.

The woman touched his cheek. "Oh, Daniel. It's really sweet of you to ask. When Caleb gets up, just be really nice to him, okay? I know you're always nice. Just be extra nice. All right?"

Daniel nodded. Diane hugged him, then got up, heading to the bathroom to wash her face. Feeling low, Daniel went to his bedroom and sat on his bed. The death of Caleb's mother had brought back the shadow of his own parents' death, and he was aching inside, both for Caleb and for his own loss.

When Daniel's parents died, he hadn't wanted to talk to anybody. He'd wanted to keep his pain secret, all to himself. But, this time, he felt like he needed to talk to somebody. He thought of Sam, but she might not be interested since she seemed to be interested in only Randy these days. If he couldn't talk to Sam, then he couldn't talk to her parents either.

Daniel looked over at the phone extension that Diane had put in his room yesterday. Knowing that he and Sam were now "study partners", she'd told him that he could have a phone in his room to call her if he was ever stuck on a math or science problem while doing his homework. Would it be okay to make other calls on it?

Several more minutes passed before Daniel finally picked up the phone and called a number he'd dialed several times before.

"Hello," answered a male voice.

"Mister Greer?"

"Daniel? Is something wrong?"

"Something really bad happened."

Quentin's body tightened with alarm, thinking of all the terrible things that could have happened. "What happened, Daniel?"

"Caleb's mom died."

"Caleb? Your foster brother?"

"Uh huh. Mrs. Underwood said that she took too much of something called heroin."

Quentin closed his eyes, cursing silently.

"I'm so sorry, Daniel," he said. "I should imagine that Caleb is very sad."

"He's sleeping now, but Mrs. Underwood said he cried a lot. I wish I knew how I could make him feel better."

Quentin smiled sadly at the comment. Daniel had such a generous spirit.

"You just need to be a really good friend and brother to him."

"I will be."

There was a long silence.

"Daniel, do you want to talk about this?" Quentin asked, sensing that there was something more.

Several more seconds passed before Daniel spoke. "Caleb isn't an orphan like me. His dad's still alive, but he's in jail and is going to be there for a long time, so it's kind of like Caleb doesn't have real parents anymore, like . . . like me."

Quentin sighed. It was natural that this incident would bring to the fore Daniel's thoughts about his own parents.

"Why did Caleb's mom take the heroin when it could kill her?" the boy asked, not understanding.

"Oh, Daniel. That's so very hard to explain. Do you know what addiction is?"

"No."

"Is there something that you do that, if you couldn't do it anymore, it would make you really upset?"

Daniel thought about that. "If I wasn't allowed to read any more books, it would be really awful."

Quentin nodded, though Daniel couldn't see him. "Reading is very important to you, one of the most important things in your life. It's something that you love so much that you feel like you just _have_ to do it, that, if someone took away all your books, and you could never read again, a part of you would die, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, addiction is kind of like that, except much more powerful. When someone is addicted to something, no matter how much they really should stop doing or taking it, they simply can't. They have a need for it. With drugs like heroin, if a person doesn't keep taking it, they feel worse and worse until it almost drives them crazy, and they'll do anything to get more."

"Why do people take it if it's so bad?"

"Usually, because it makes them feel good when they take it. They don't plan on getting addicted to it. They think they can just take it once in a while, and they'll be fine. But it usually doesn't work out that way. Drug addiction is a terrible thing, Daniel. It destroys lives."

"Like Caleb's mom."

"Yes."

"I'll never ever take any drugs."

"That's good, Daniel. Don't ever forget this and how much Caleb is going to suffer because of his mom taking that drug."

"I won't."

"Are you okay, Daniel? Do you want to talk about how you're feeling?"

Daniel paused for a long moment. "I'm . . . I'm sad. I feel really, really bad for Caleb, and. . . ."

"And you're thinking about your mom and dad, too."

Daniel didn't reply.

"It's okay, Daniel. It's natural that this would make you think about your own parents."

Daniel began to cry. "Why do people have to die?"

"Oh, Daniel," Quentin said on a sigh. "That is just a part of life. All living things on Earth die eventually. None of us can live forever. Our bodies just don't have that ability. We all just have to accept that and try to live the years we have as well as we possibly can."

"I wish there was a way that we could live forever."

"Me too, Daniel. Maybe someday in the distant future, someone will find a way."

* * *

Dinner that night was a somber affair. Susy was too young to understand what was going on and was the only one not affected by the tragedy. Adam, on the other hand, did understand to a certain extent. He had no memories of his own parents, both of them having died when he was only two, but he'd been under the care of his maternal grandmother until she died eight months ago. He knew that, when someone died, they never came back. Caleb's mom was never going to come back. She was never going to come get Caleb like the boy had said she would.

Diane did all that was in her power to make Caleb feel better, even fixing his favorite foods for dinner, but the boy barely ate. He spent most of the time staring at his lap. It made Daniel think of the way he was when his parents died.

After dinner, Caleb wanted to go back to his room. Surprisingly, it was Paul who stopped him.

"Come here, Caleb," he said gently.

His head down, the boy approached him, stopping beside the man's chair.

"I'm sorry that your mom died, Caleb. I know that you're really sad, but going off and being by yourself in your room is just going to make you feel worse. So, how about if you stay in here with us?"

"I don't want to," the boy mumbled. "I want to go to my room."

Paul nodded. "All right. But if you feel even a little bit lonely, come on back out here. I'm sure that your foster mom would like you to be out here with her. She loves you, you know."

Caleb headed off to his room. When Paul looked at his wife, he saw that she was staring at him in shock. He gave her a shrug.

"I do understand what the kid is feeling, Diane," he said. "I adored my mother's parents. When they both died when I was nine, it hurt."

Diane nodded, too full of emotion to speak.

It was an hour later when Caleb came back out. Not saying a word, he climbed up onto Diane's lap, pressed his face against her chest, and held on. Crying once again, the woman held him tightly, whispering softly to him and rocking him back and forth.

* * *

The next morning at school, Daniel considered telling Sam about what happened, but then he noticed her glancing over at Randy and decided not to do so. Instead, it was Kenny whom he told during the boy's tutoring session in the closet. Like Daniel, Kenny truly understood what Caleb must be feeling.

Quentin called a couple of hours after Daniel got home that afternoon and asked how he was doing. The boy told his former teacher that he was okay, though he was still feeling low, the issue with Sam definitely not helping his mood.

"Will you be ready to begin your tutoring on Monday or would like to put it off for a few more days?" the teacher asked.

"No, I don't want to wait."

"Okay. Then I guess we'll see you Monday afternoon. Come on to my classroom after school, and I'll take you to my house. Then your foster mother won't have to worry about getting you over there. Put her on the phone, and I'll let her know the plan."

Diane was relieved that Quentin had come up with an alternate way for Daniel to get to the man's house. She was trying to avoid taking Caleb places as much as possible.

That evening, Daniel worked on the science stuff that was in the folder of advanced work that Mrs. Mason had given to him, it being his last opportunity to get it done. He stared at the problems, frowning. Mister Greer had never given him science problems this advanced. What science he'd included in the work he gave to Daniel had been mostly fourth grade stuff. Now, the boy was struggling to answer questions about things he didn't know. He turned to the encyclopedia in hopes of finding the answers, but it was only partially helpful.

Daniel's eyes went to the phone. Sam was supposed to be his study partner. He was supposed to go to her if he had trouble in science or math, but he was reluctant to call her. Randy still seemed to be all she was interested in, so much so that he'd just about given up on trying to talk to her. They still hadn't talked any more about the science project, and Daniel had decided that, even if she did still want to do it with him, he wasn't going to do it. He'd never really wanted to in the first place anyway.

Deciding not to call Sam, Daniel tried to answer the questions as well as he could on his own, making outright guesses sometimes.

The next morning, Daniel and Sam both turned in their advanced homework to Mrs. Mason. At the end of the day, she called them up to her desk and gave them back the folders.

"Your graded papers are inside," she explained. She turned to Daniel. "I'd like to speak to you for a moment."

Waiting until the classroom was clear, Elizabeth Mason studied the boy standing before her.

"As you'll see when you look at those papers, you did excellently on your history, English and spelling. You didn't do bad on the math either, a B. But the science. . . ."

Daniel sighed. "I probably got an F, didn't I."

"No, not nearly that bad. I gave you a C-."

"Mister Greer never gave me science problems like that."

"I'm sorry, Daniel. I guess I went overboard. I should have known that it was too advanced for you to go into this soon. I'll be more careful next time, and I won't count this in the grade on your report card. I do have a question, though. Sam did very well on her science work. It wasn't all the same as yours, but some things were similar."

"She's really smart with science."

"Yes, I know, which leads me to my question. Didn't you ask for her help?"

Daniel's gaze dropped to the floor. "No."

"Why not?"

The boy shrugged, not wanting to tell her. "I just didn't."

"Isn't that what you two were going to do, help each other?"

"We were."

"Did something happen to change that?"

Daniel's shoulders hunched. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Did you have a fight?"

Daniel shook his head.

Elizabeth studied the boy, whose eyes had not lifted from the floor. "Daniel, if you and Sam aren't going to be studying together and helping each other, I cannot let you remain study partners."

"I don't think she's interested in that anymore," Daniel said in a barely audible mumble.

The teacher frowned. "Why do you say that?" When he didn't answer, she pressed him. "Daniel, I'd like an answer."

"I think she'd rather be Randy's study partner," the boy finally admitted.

Elizabeth's eyebrows went up. "Randy Kingston?"

Daniel nodded.

Suddenly, it all made sense to the teacher. Apparently, Sam had taken quite a fancy to Randy, and Daniel was hurt and jealous.

Sam wasn't the only girl who had eyes for the handsome ten-year-old. Charming and athletic, he was quite popular with the girls.

Normally, childhood crushes were mostly harmless, but this one was negatively affecting Daniel. So, what should she do about it? The crush probably wouldn't last long, but, in the meantime, Daniel would suffer and possibly begin withdrawing from Sam. It would be a terrible shame to let their friendship get hurt.

She certainly couldn't talk to Sam about her crush on Randy. That would be inappropriate. However, perhaps there was something else she could try.

"I'm sure that Sam still wants to be your study partner, Daniel. We'll get this all straightened out. You'd better get going now before you miss your bus. I'll see you on Monday."

* * *

The funeral for Caleb's mother was on Saturday. Diane took the boy to it, Paul watching the rest of the kids at home. All morning, Daniel thought about the funeral for his own parents and about what happened afterwards, going to breakfast at that diner with his grandfather and being told that Nick couldn't take care of him, that his grandfather's work just wouldn't allow for time to look after a child. Deep in his world of silence, Daniel had said nothing, had suffered the crushing blow of rejection without comment. The next day, his grandfather was gone, and Daniel was officially in the foster care system.

Now, Daniel's foster brother was having to watch the funeral of a parent. The difference was that, afterwards, he wouldn't suffer rejection by another relative. He'd be brought back here, and Mrs. Underwood would give him hugs, and kisses, and make him feel better. Daniel was glad that Caleb would have that, but, at the same time, he was feeling a little bitter. Why didn't _he_ get to have that? Why couldn't his grandfather have cared about him like Mrs. Underwood cared about Caleb? She wasn't even a relative.

Feeling sorry for himself for the first time since his parents' death, Daniel stayed in his room, not even coming out when Diane and Caleb returned. It wasn't until he was called to lunch that he finally left the room. He went right back in after eating.

On Monday, a couple of hours after Daniel had gone to school, Diane got a call from Laura Carter.

"I hate to bother you," Laura said, "but Daniel told me a while ago that you had a meatloaf recipe that was, in his words, really good, and I was wondering if you'd mind sharing it with me. I've got a lot of hamburger that needs to be used up, and my meatloaf recipe leaves much to be desired."

Her mind only half on what Laura had said, Diane didn't answer right away.

Hearing only silence, Laura said, "Hello?"

"Oh. I-I'm sorry," Diane apologized. "I'm afraid that my mind just isn't good for much today. I'm still worried about Caleb."

"What's wrong with Caleb?" Laura quickly asked.

"Don't you know? I thought for sure that Daniel would have told Sam. I was certain of it."

"Told her what? What happened?"

"Caleb lost his mother last week."

Laura gasped. "Oh, no."

Diane explained the whole story to her.

"I know that it's had an impact on Daniel," she said. "He's been very quiet. The funeral was on Saturday, and Daniel spent a good part of the weekend in his room. The whole thing has probably made him think about his own parents."

"No doubt." Laura shook her head. "I don't understand why he didn't tell Sam about this."

"Do you think I should ask him?"

"No, don't. He must have had a reason. Perhaps Jacob and I will feel Sam out tonight and see if something's going on."

A few minutes later, Laura decided to call the base and asked for Jacob. He wasn't available at the moment, but the man she talked to said that he'd give the captain a message to call. The call came an hour later.

"Jacob, I just found out that Daniel's foster brother, Caleb, lost his birth mother last week."

"What? How come we didn't know about this?"

"That's what I'd like to know. If Daniel told Sam, she surely would have told us."

"Of course she would. So, that means he didn't tell her. Why would he keep that from her?"

"I don't know. Diane says that the whole thing has been affecting Daniel. I just _know_ that he's got to be thinking about the death of his own parents."

"Oh, there's no doubt of that. I really wish we'd known about this."

"I think we need to talk to Sam, try to get some idea on why Daniel wouldn't have told her."

"Definitely. We'll talk to her as soon as I get home. We'll get to the bottom of this."

* * *

Daniel didn't dawdle when the final bell rang Monday afternoon. He hurriedly began gathering his books.

"How come you're hurrying?" Sam asked.

Daniel glanced at her. "My tutoring with Mister Greer starts today. I don't want to make him wait."

"Oh! I forgot that was today. I bet you're excited."

Daniel glanced at her again. "Yeah." He picked up the last of his books. "I gotta go."

"Okay. See you tomorrow."

As Daniel hurried out of the room, Randy passed by Sam's desk. She gave him a big smile.

"Hi, Randy."

"Hey, Genius Sam."

The girl blushed at the nickname.

"So, has Bud been leaving you and Daniel alone?"

"Yeah, mostly. He shoved me a little bit in the lunch line on Thursday."

"Well, if he causes you or Daniel trouble, you come tell me, and I'll beat him up."

Sam smiled shyly. "Okay, I will."

Randy gave her a jaunty wave. "Well, see ya later, Genius Sam."

Sam was so busy watching the boy leave that she didn't notice her teacher coming up to her.

"Sam, I'd like to talk to you for a moment, please."

Wondering what this was about, the girl went to the teacher's desk. As the last of the other kids left, Mrs. Mason turned to her.

"Sam, I thought you should know that I'm considering removing Daniel as your study partner."

Stunned, Sam exclaimed, "B-but why?"

"One reason is that he told me that he believes you no longer have an interest in studying with him."

"But that's not true!"

"Well, I think you'd better talk to him about it. He got a lower grade on his fifth grade science homework because he chose not to call you and ask for your help."

"He did? He never even told me about it."

"Well, perhaps you should think about it for a while and try to figure out why. Have you been spending time with him as usual, talking with him?"

"Sure, we had lunch together all week, except for Thursday and Friday when Daniel and Kenny were—" She broke off abruptly, knowing that Daniel helping Kenny was a secret. "When they were doing something together," she finished.

"Have you been discussing what you're going to do for the science fair?"

Sam frowned, realizing that they hadn't talked about it at all since that first day. Her mind had been so much on Randy that it had distracted her from almost everything else.

"Um, no, we haven't," she admitted aloud.

"You're running out of time on that, you know. I need to know by the end of the month if you're going to have an entry."

"We'll get started on it, Mrs. Mason. I promise."

* * *

Quentin could tell that Daniel's mind was not fully on the lessons, though the boy seemed to be trying to focus on them. After an hour and a half, the teacher decided that was enough for the day.

"So, how's Caleb doing?" he asked as he stacked up the books they'd been using.

"He still cries sometimes," Daniel replied, "and he hasn't been playing very much. Mrs. Underwood is spending a lot of time with him."

Quentin nodded. "And how have _you_ been doing?"

Daniel's gaze fell. "Okay."

"Are you sure? Is it still making you think about your mom and dad?"

"Sometimes."

"You know, any time you feel like you need to talk, you can come to me, Daniel. I'm here for you."

Daniel looked at him. "Thanks, Mister Greer." He frowned a bit.

"Is there something else?"

The boy paused. "Do you know a lot about girls?"

Quentin had to stop himself from laughing. "Well, that's a matter of opinion, Daniel. I am married, so I'd like to think that I do know a thing or two about girls, but no man can truthfully claim that he knows all about them."

"How come?"

"Oh, because there are things about women that men will never understand."

"I don't understand them at all," Daniel said.

Quentin's eyebrows rose. "Oh? And is it a particular female who's got you all confused?"

"Sam."

"Sam? What has Sam done to make you confused?"

"We met a boy name Randy last Tuesday. Bud Whitman was being mean to us again, and Randy stopped it. Ever since then, all Sam ever does is look at him. At lunchtime, she looks over at where he's sitting, and she even does it in class." Daniel's gaze dropped again. "She's so busy looking at him that she hardly talks to me at lunch anymore."

"Ah, I see." Quentin chewed his lip. Sam had a crush on some boy, and Daniel was jealous. At least this bump in the road of their friendship wasn't as serious as the last one, at least not yet.

"Daniel, have you ever really liked a girl?"

"I really like Sam."

"Well, yes, you're good friends, but that's not what I was talking about. Has there ever been a girl you wanted to kiss?"

Daniel made a face. "You mean like my mom and dad kissed?"

"Yes, like that."

"No."

The emphatic way that Daniel stated the word almost made Quentin smile. Okay, so the kid had yet to experience those kinds of feelings. It wasn't a surprise. Girls often became aware of such feelings long before boys did. To a lot of boys Daniel's age, that sort of thing was "gross".

"Okay. Well, it's possible that Sam likes Randy in that way."

"You mean she wants to kiss him?" Daniel sounded almost horrified at the thought.

"Well, perhaps she doesn't like him quite _that_ much, but I do think that she likes him in that way."

"And that's why she looks at him all the time?"

"Uh huh. When a girl really likes a boy or a boy really likes a girl in that way, it can sometimes be hard to think about anything else. I know that when I met Kathleen, I thought about her all the time. It was hard to concentrate on other things. That's probably how Sam is feeling."

"Oh."

"And that's why she hasn't been talking to you as much."

Daniel frowned. "Will it go away?"

"I'm sure it will."

"When?"

"That I don't know, Daniel."

"I hope it's really soon."

Quentin finally let his smile through. "For your sake, I hope so, too." 


	25. Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

On the entire bus ride home, Sam had tried to figure out why Daniel would think that she didn't want to study with him anymore, but, no matter how hard she tried, she was unable to figure it out. Once she got home, she didn't feel up to playing, so she went to her room, deciding to go ahead and get her homework done. That plan didn't work out very well, though, since it was pretty tough trying to concentrate on her homework when her mind kept going back to her best friend. She wished that he was home so that she could call him and find out what was going on.

Shortly after Sam's father got home, he and Laura went into the girl's room.

"We need to talk to you about something, Sam," Jacob said. "Is everything okay with you and Daniel?"

The question surprised Sam. Had the teacher told them about Daniel? "Did Mrs. Mason call you?"

Jacob frowned. "No. What would she have called us about?"

Sam told her parents what she'd found out. They exchanged a long look, then turned back to their daughter.

"And you have no idea why Daniel feels that way?"

"No! I don't get it at all."

"Well, honey, whatever the reason, it must be pretty serious," Laura said. "We found out today that the mother of Daniel's foster brother, Caleb, died last week, and, apparently, he never told you."

Sam was stunned. "B-but why didn't he tell me?"

"That's what we'd like to know," Jacob told her.

"Sam, isn't there anything at all that might have happened to make Daniel feel this way? Perhaps something you said to him?" Laura asked.

Sam thought back on the previous week again, trying to think of something she could have said to Daniel to upset him. As she did, she realized that she really couldn't remember any of the stuff they'd talked about since . . . since when? The answer came to her. Not since Tuesday, the day she met Randy. Since then, she'd spent a lot of time each lunch break looking at the boy and wondering about him. But she _had_ talked to Daniel, hadn't she? She _must_ have.

Jacob and Laura saw something in their daughter's expression.

"Did you think of something?" Jacob asked.

Sam blushed. "I've been kind of . . . of thinking a lot about Randy, and maybe I didn't talk to Daniel very much."

Her parents shared another look.

"I see," Jacob said. "And would Daniel know that you've been thinking a lot about Randy?"

Sam got to thinking about it and figured that Daniel probably did notice all the times she looked at the older boy. That made her even more embarrassed. "Yeah, he probably does."

"Ah. Well, this answers the question. Daniel's jealous, Sam."

"Of Randy?"

"Yes, of Randy. He's seen the way you're acting about Randy, and, on top of that, you haven't been talking to him as much as usual, so he's feeling hurt and jealous, just like you were when Daniel started making new friends."

Feeling guilty, Sam dropped her head. "I didn't mean to make him jealous."

"We know you didn't, sweetheart," Laura said, "but you do need to talk to him about this. The, um . . . the things you're feeling for Randy are natural, but you can't let them get in the way of important things, like your friendship with Daniel."

"Can we go over to Daniel's now?"

"Not right now. It's too close to dinner. After we eat, we can call and see if it's all right to come by."

Sam fidgeted all through the evening meal, impatient to see Daniel and fix things with him. Her parents weren't concerned about the situation. Unlike the last time, they were confident that this could be easily resolved.

As soon as the meal was over, Sam began hounding her father to make the call. When he did so and explained the situation to Diane, she agreed that it would be a good idea for Sam to come over.

When a knock came on Daniel's door, and he saw who his visitors were, he was very surprised.

"What are you doing here?" he asked Sam and Jacob.

"Well, Sam has some things that she needs to get straightened out with you," the captain replied. He looked down at his daughter. "I'll be out in the living room. Take as much time as you need."

As the door shut behind her father, Sam approached Daniel a little nervously, coming to a stop before the bed where he was sitting.

"I'm sorry I made you jealous," she said, staring at the floor. "I didn't mean to not talk to you at lunch. I didn't even think about it because. . . ."

"Because you like Randy and were thinking about him a lot," Daniel said. Ever since Mister Greer explained things to him, his hurt feelings over being virtually ignored by Sam had lessened a great deal. Now that he understood the whole thing, he wasn't so upset.

Sam twisted the hem of her shirt. "Yeah." She looked up at him. "But I promise that I won't do it anymore. I'll hardly look at Randy at all from now on."

"It's okay. I understand now. Mister Greer explained why you were acting that way."

"He did?"

"Uh huh."

"Then . . . then we're still friends?" Sam asked hopefully.

Daniel nodded.

Smiling happily, Sam gave him a hug. She then sat down on the bed beside him.

"I'm sorry you got a bad grade on your science homework," she said. "I would have helped you if you'd asked."

"It's okay. Mrs. Mason isn't going to count it."

"That's good." Sam's expression saddened. "I'm sorry that Caleb's mother died."

"Me too."

Sam looked down at the book in Daniel's hands. "Is that the book your mom and dad wrote?" Daniel had told her all about it, but she hadn't had a chance to see it yet.

"Uh huh."

"Can I see it?"

Daniel handed her the book, showing her the dedication to him that he'd told her about. Sam thought it was awesome that they'd dedicated the book to him.

Daniel watched Sam as she flipped through the pages. After a minute or so, he abruptly blurted out, "Do you want to kiss Randy?"

The question totally shocked Sam. "No!" she nearly shrieked, blushing brightly.

"Oh. Mister Greer said that people who like somebody the way you like Randy want to kiss them."

"Well, I don't," Sam stated emphatically. "That would be yucky."

"Good," Daniel responded, relieved.

There was a long silence, then, "Have you ever kissed anybody?" Sam asked.

Daniel's head shook. "Except for my mom and dad, and that doesn't count." He looked at her for a brief moment. "Have you?"

"Uh uh."

There was another, shorter silence.

"Do you think you'll ever want to kiss somebody?" Daniel inquired.

"I don't know. Maybe when I'm all grown up."

"Grown-ups like to kiss. My mom and Dad did it a lot."

"Yeah, so do mine," Sam said, "and adults on TV shows do it a lot, too."

"I wonder why they like it so much."

"I don't know."

The two children glanced at each other, then away.

"Maybe . . . maybe we could do an experiment," Sam suggested after a few seconds.

Daniel looked at her. "An experiment?"

"Yeah, like scientists. If _we_ kissed, maybe we'd know why adults like to do it."

Daniel blushed. "You mean me and you? But I thought you said that kissing would be yucky."

"That would be me kissing Randy. _We'd_ do it just to see what it's like and maybe figure out why grown-ups do it so much."

Daniel frowned slightly in uncertainty. "An experiment."

"Uh huh." Seeing his expression, Sam said, "We don't have to if you don't want to."

Daniel thought about it and admitted that he was kind of curious. And it's not like it would be a _real_ kiss. It would just be an experiment.

"Okay," he said.

Now that Daniel had agreed, Sam was suddenly stricken with nervousness and uncertainty. But she didn't want to back down and look like a coward. She scooted a little closer, shyly glancing at Daniel, who returned the glance equally as shyly. They just sat that way for several seconds, neither one of them having the courage to make the first move. At last, their eyes met, and they quickly leaned in toward each other, their lips meeting for all of half a second, noses almost bumping.

Blushing, they ducked their heads, eyes on their laps.

"Was it yucky?" Daniel asked timidly after a moment.

"No, not really. Did you think it was yucky?"

Daniel shook his head. It hadn't felt yucky at all.

"Maybe we should do it for a little bit longer," Sam said.

"Okay," Daniel responded, not hesitating this time.

Again, they leaned in toward each other, more slowly this time. Their second kiss lasted a couple of seconds.

Blushing hotly, they parted, eyes again on their laps.

"I guess maybe kissing isn't so bad," Sam said. Though she'd never admit it, it had actually felt kind of nice.

"Yeah," Daniel agreed. "I guess that's why adults like to do it so much."

Sam nodded. "I-I should probably go now." She stood up. "Would you like to come over my house after school tomorrow? We can talk about our science project for the fair. We can do that at lunch tomorrow, too."

Daniel had been intending to tell Sam that he didn't want to do the science project, but maybe it wouldn't be too bad, especially since it meant that he and Sam would get to spend more time together.

"I'd have to come over after my tutoring with Mister Greer," he said. "Maybe he could drive me to your house afterwards."

"Okay. I'll have to ask Mom and Dad if it's okay."

"And I'll ask Mrs. Underwood."

They went out into the living room, where Jacob studied them, trying to determine if everything was okay between them. He noticed that they were both acting a little oddly, but any question on whether or not the rift had been healed was answered when the kids asked if it would be okay for Daniel to come over to the Carters' home tomorrow to talk about their joint science project. Both Jacob and Diane said that would be fine, and the details were arranged.

On the drive home, Jacob glanced at his daughter a couple of times, noting the presence of a little smile on her face on both occasions.

"So, everything is good with you and Daniel?"

"Uh huh. It's great." There was a long pause. "Daddy, do adults kiss a lot because they like how it feels?"

Surprised by the question, Jacob gave Sam a sharper look. "Um, yes, we do. Why do you ask?"

Sam suddenly seemed to find her lap to be an object of deep fascination. "No reason," she claimed, although the tone in her voice said otherwise.

The captain looked at her again, this time with concern. "Sam, has Randy tried to kiss you?"

"No," Sam replied with a shake of her head. "I don't think I want to kiss him."

Her words relieved Jacob. A crush was one thing, but his eight-year-old daughter exchanging a kiss with a ten-year-old boy was something else entirely. If he suspected something like that was going on, he'd be having a little talk with Randy.

"So, why the question about kissing, then?" he asked.

Sam began fidgeting. Though he couldn't really tell because of the darkness, Jacob could have sworn that she was blushing.

"I was just curious," the girl said, not looking at him.

Puzzled, Jacob returned his gaze to the road. He got to thinking about the way Daniel and Sam had been acting when they came out of the boy's bedroom, the furtive, shy glances, their posture.

A sudden suspicion hit the Air Force captain. Could it be that the two children ended up doing something besides talk?

There was the slightest of smiles on his lips as they pulled into the driveway. Once in the house, Sam went off to her bedroom to finish her homework. Jacob took a seat on the couch beside Laura.

"So, I'm guessing that everything went okay," she said.

"It appears so. Daniel will be coming over late tomorrow afternoon so that he and Sam can brainstorm over what they're going to do for the science fair."

"That's great. I'm glad that's all straightened out."

"Perhaps in more ways than we'd anticipated," Jacob remarked cryptically.

Laura looked at him. "What do you mean?"

Her husband's eyes were twinkling. "I think they kissed and made up – literally."

Laura's eyes widened. "You think that Sam and Daniel kissed?"

"I can't be certain of it, but I suspect so."

"Oh, my."

Jacob chuckled. "Poor Randy. He wins Sam's heart only to lose it to another guy just a few days later."

Laura elbowed him, trying not to laugh at the remark. "Don't you think we should talk with Sam about this?"

"I don't think that's necessary. They're only eight years old. I'm sure it was perfectly innocent. Besides, I'd much rather have Sam share her first kiss with Daniel than with some boy who's two years older than her."

"True." Laura paused in thought. "They grow up so fast, don't they. It seems like just yesterday that Sam was only a baby."

Jacob nodded. "But look on the bright side. We probably still have another decade or so before she moves out, and, hopefully, a few years beyond that before she finds herself a husband and makes us grandparents."

"Mark could beat her out on the spouse and kids, you know."

"Yes, he could. Either way, it'll probably be too soon for me."

* * *

The next morning when they met at the lockers, Sam and Daniel acted a bit shyly toward each other, exchanging little glances and smiles, saying no more than a handful of words. When they entered the classroom together, Sam noticed Randy over in the corner, chatting with a couple of classmates about baseball. Daniel noticed the direction of Sam's gaze and felt a sharp stab of jealousy. He didn't want Sam to like Randy that way.

Sam's gaze, though, remained on the older boy for only a few seconds. She then looked at Daniel and smiled at him, which made him feel good.

Throughout the morning, Sam didn't look back at Randy even once. Sure, he was nice, and he was really cute, but he wasn't her best friend like Daniel was. Daniel was brave, and smart, and nice, and everything else. Sam was certain that if she kissed Randy, it wouldn't feel nearly as nice as kissing Daniel did.

At lunchtime, Daniel and Sam talked a bit about their science project, which interested both Kenny and Nathan, who got in on the conversation, volunteering their own ideas. Partway through the meal, Daniel happened to glance over to where Bud was sitting with a couple of other boys. They were laughing about something. At that moment, Bud looked right at Daniel and smiled in a way that sent fear through the younger boy. Bud said something to one of his friends, who snickered.

Daniel quickly looked away, but he could no longer concentrate on the conversation with his friends. He had a really bad feeling that Bud was planning something. He was glad that he'd be leaving school with Mister Greer again today.

Daniel's second tutoring session went much better than the first, Daniel's full attention upon the lessons Quentin gave him.

"You did very well, Daniel," the teacher said with a smile as the lessons drew to a close. "So, I'm guessing that things got all worked out with Sam."

A blush came to Daniel's face, and he ducked his head. "Yeah. We talked and . . . and stuff. She didn't look at Randy even once at lunchtime."

"Well, that's good."

"Maybe she doesn't like him like that anymore."

"Could be." Quentin noticed that Daniel appeared to have something on his mind. "What are you thinking about?"

Daniel studied him. "Promise you won't tell?"

"Well, that all depends. If it's not a bad thing, then I promise."

"I don't think it's a bad thing."

"Well, then I won't tell anybody."

Daniel's gaze dropped to the top of the little table that had been set up for him in the library. "Sam and I did an experiment."

"An experiment? What kind of experiment?"

"A . . . a kissing experiment."

Quentin had to bite his lip to keep from smiling. "Ah. That sounds interesting. How did the experiment go?"

"O-okay."

"Hmm. And did you like the experiment?"

Daniel's head nodded, still not lifting.

Quentin was losing his battle with the smile. "It felt kind of nice, didn't it."

"Uh huh, both times."

The teacher's eyebrows rose. "Both times?"

"We kissed, but it was really, really fast, so we decided to do it again."

Laughter was clawing its way up Quentin's throat, and he was in serious danger of losing it right there.

"Well, I'm glad that the experiment was a great success, Daniel," he managed to say. He got to his feet. "Would you excuse me? I need to go use the bathroom."

The teacher made an exit and headed straight to the bathroom. Running water in the sink hid the sound of his chuckles. Apparently, the young Daniel's viewpoint on kissing had undergone a radical transformation. Fortunately, his discovery of the joys of kissing had been made with Sam, who wouldn't turn around and break his heart by losing interest in him. Quentin had to wonder if this was going to develop into a crush or just remain a "kissing experiment" between best friends.

When the teacher came back into the library, Daniel was looking at him in concern.

"You promise you won't tell, right?" the boy said.

Quentin ruffled his hair. "I promise. Come on. Let's get you over to the Carters."

Sam didn't waste much time thrusting Daniel headlong into the science project planning. She'd made a list of all her ideas.

"Whatever you decide is okay with me," the boy told her.

"No, I want you to tell me which you like best. Did you come up with any ideas?"

"Not really. My idea is stupid."

"I bet it isn't. Come on. Tell me."

Reluctantly, Daniel told Sam about a library book he'd read that claimed the pyramids were built by aliens from outer space and the idea that had suddenly popped into his head last night.

Sam grinned hugely. "I love it!" she exclaimed.

"You do?"

"Yeah! And I've got an idea that could make it even better!" She explained her idea to Daniel.

The boy nodded. "That would look great."

Sam nodded enthusiastically. "We'll have to figure out how we can make it all work, though. Mom and Dad are allowed to give us suggestions, but they can't help us make anything. We need to do it all on our own."

Daniel frowned. "I don't know how to do any of the things we'd need to."

Sam smiled. "That's okay. We'll figure it out."

The two kids spent the rest of their time together discussing the details, suggesting and discarding various ideas. They finally settled on exactly what their science project would do. The trick now was to figure out how to make it do those things.

The next day, Daniel and Sam asked Mrs. Mason if she had any science books they could borrow.

"Ones that have things about little motors and stuff to make lights turn on," Sam specified.

Happy to see that the two children seemed to have resolved their problems, Elizabeth told them that she'd see what she could find.

Diane picked Daniel up from school that day, having a few errands to run before the boy's appointment with Doctor Pine.

The therapy session went well, the psychologist very pleased with the significant progress Daniel had made since his first visit. They talked about what happened with Caleb's mother and how it had made Daniel feel. Though the boy didn't want to admit it, the doctor managed to coax out of him his brief feelings of self-pity and bitterness.

"Do you still feel that way, Daniel?" Joseph asked, knowing that such feelings were quite normal.

The boy shook his head. "Not really. It isn't anybody's fault that my grandpa didn't want me because he's too busy working. If Caleb didn't have Mrs. Underwood, he'd have been all alone, too, with nobody to love him. I'm glad that he's lucky and has her to care about him. I'm lucky, too, now."

"How so?"

"Because I have Sam and her parents, and I have Mister Greer and his wife, and I have Mrs. Underwood, too, and other friends at school. I'm not alone anymore."

The therapist smiled. "You are exactly right, Daniel. You have lots of people who love you and will make sure that you are never alone." His smile faded and his gaze sharpened. "Daniel, during our first session, I asked if you wanted to die and be with your parents. You told me that you thought it would be okay if you did die if it meant that you could be with them. Do you still feel that way?"

Daniel thought about those terrifying moments in the stream when he thought that he was going to die.

"No," he said with conviction. "I don't want to die."

Joseph studied his face. "Not even if you could be with your parents?"

Daniel shook his head.

The psychologist relaxed, the smile returning. "That is wonderful to hear, Daniel. I'm glad." He closed the folder before him and laid down his pen. "Well, I am happy to say that I think we're all done. I don't need to see you anymore. You've come far, Daniel, and I think that you're going to be just fine. Your mom and dad would be very happy, my boy, and you should feel very proud of yourself."

A few minutes later, Daniel said goodbye to Doctor Joseph Pine for the last time and left the office feeling good about himself and what the future held for him.

* * *

Because of the therapy session, there was no tutoring for Daniel that day, so he and Mrs. Underwood went home – after a quick trip to the store to pick up some ice cream to celebrate Daniel's completion of therapy. The boy's foster mother was so happy to know that Daniel had such a positive outlook on life now and that no traces remained of his former opinion on his own death. The scars left by the loss of his parents were truly healing.

The ice cream was served after dinner. Daniel was happy to see Caleb eating some. Though the boy was still unusually quiet, he seemed to be slowly recovering from the blow of his mother's death.

Daniel had not talked to his foster brother about the whole thing and felt a little bad about that. Later that evening, shortly before the boy's bedtime, Daniel knocked on his door, feeling a little nervous. Upon hearing Caleb say "come in", he opened the door. The six-year-old was by himself, Adam still playing out in the living room.

"Hi," Daniel said. "Can I come in?"

"I guess," Caleb replied.

Daniel entered, shutting the door behind him. He approached the bed, where the younger boy had been playing with a G.I. Joe action figure.

"My friend, Sam, has a Major Matt Mason doll with all the accessories," Daniel said, hoping to start a conversation.

"I've got lots of different clothes for G.I. Joe," the younger boy responded.

"That's cool." Daniel sat on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

Caleb's gaze dropped. "Okay."

"I'm really sorry about your mom. When my mom and dad died, it hurt a lot."

Caleb crossed his arms over his chest protectively. "Did . . . did you cry?"

"Yeah, lots of times. I still miss them a whole lot."

"I don't know my dad very well. He went to jail when I was little. It was just me and my mom." Caleb's head ducked closer to his chest. "And then she got sick because of the drugs, and I couldn't live with her anymore." He quickly wiped away a tear that had escaped down his cheek. "I wanted to stay with her, but they wouldn't let me. Mommy told me that it would be okay because it was just temporary, and she promised that, in a year, she'd come get me, and we'd be a family again." More tears fell. "But she didn't come get me, and I didn't know why, and I was really mad, and . . . and. . . ." His voice trailed off. "I got taken out of that foster home and put here with the Underwoods. I decided it was okay because that meant it was still all just temporary. If it wasn't temporary, they'd have made me stay with the other people, right?"

Daniel didn't reply, not knowing the answer.

"Mommy called and told me that she was sorry she didn't come get me and promised that it would be just one more year. She . . ." the boy's voice wavered, "she would have come to get me on Sunday if she hadn't died. That was the day she promised to get me." Caleb lifted tear-bright eyes to Daniel. "She really would have come to get me this time, wouldn't she?" he asked, a note of desperate need in his voice.

Daniel didn't know if Caleb's mother would have come this time, but he could tell what the boy needed to hear.

He nodded. "I bet she would have."

Caleb relaxed, his faith in his mother having been affirmed.

"I don't know what's going to happen to me now," he said. "My dad can't take me because he's still in jail, and all my grandparents are dead, except for Gramma Bridget, who's really old and in a nursing home. I don't have any aunts or uncles."

"Wouldn't you like to stay with the Underwoods?" Daniel asked.

Caleb shrugged. "I don't know. They're supposed to be just temporary."

"Well, maybe they can be permanent now. Maybe if you ask your caseworker if you can stay here, then she'll let you. I bet Adam would be really happy if you stayed. He's almost like your real brother. And I know that Mrs. Underwood would be happy."

Caleb began toying with one of the action figures. "I guess . . . I guess it would be okay if I was here for longer. Mrs. Underwood is really nice, and I like playing with Adam. I never had a brother before."

There was a tap on the door, then Diane came in, a sleepy Adam standing beside her.

"Oh. I didn't know you were in here, Daniel." She looked back and forth between the two boys. "Have you been having a nice talk?"

"Uh huh," Daniel replied.

Diane smiled. "That's good. It's time for Caleb and Adam to go to bed, though. Perhaps you can talk some more tomorrow."

Daniel got up and headed for the door. He paused to wish Caleb a good night, then went off to his room.

It was around fifteen minutes later that Diane came in. She knelt before the boy's chair and hugged him.

"Thank you for talking to Caleb, Daniel. That was so very sweet of you. He told me some of what you talked about. He . . ." her throat tightened, "he asked me if it would be okay if he stayed here for a while longer."

"Is he going to ask Social Services if he can stay? I told him that he should."

"We'll both talk to his caseworker about it tomorrow."

"Do you think they'll let him stay?"

"I don't know, Daniel, but if Caleb wants to stay here, then I think that maybe Social Services will let him. I hope so."

* * *

Well, I hope you got as big a kick out of reading Daniel and Sam's "experiment" as I did writing it. For those of you who look upon the adult Daniel and Sam as being like siblings, just keep in mind that they're only eight years old here. :-)


	26. Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Since it was the day for Daniel to get together with Kenny, he and Sam didn't have the opportunity to talk about the science project at lunch. Mrs. Mason had gathered several science and electronics books, including ones that had instructions and lessons on how to make and use small motors, switches, and other electronic devices. Sam couldn't wait to start going through them and did so as she ate lunch. A lot of it was over her head, but she managed to understand a bit here and there, enough that it gave her ideas on how they could accomplish some of their goals.

At dinner, Sam begged her father to take her to a local electronics store on Saturday. Jacob agreed, figuring that his wallet would be losing some of its contents. He didn't mind, though, seeing the glow of excitement on his daughter's face.

That evening brought good news for Daniel as well. Diane told him that, after talking with Caleb and confirming that the boy did want to stay, the caseworker had decided to let him remain with the Underwoods. More ice cream was eaten in celebration.

The next day was Friday, and, as they waited for class to start, Sam chatted with Daniel eagerly about her plans for the weekend. She wanted him to come with her and her father to the electronics store and then come home with them afterwards so that they could spend all day on their project, but it turned out that Daniel already had other plans. Because there were no other relatives, the state was taking care of disposing of the possessions of Caleb's mother, and there were things Caleb wanted, like the family photos. When Daniel asked Caleb if he wanted the Daniel to come with him and Mrs. Underwood to gather the things, the boy had said yes, and Daniel didn't want to back out on him.

On Saturday, the electronics store hadn't been open more than five minutes when Sam began hounding her father for them to get going. Chuckling, he surrendered.

A few minutes later, they were walking through the store's parking lot when Sam suddenly stopped, her eyes on a car that was just pulling out of a space.

"That's it!" she cried in triumph.

"What's it?" Jacob asked.

"I know exactly how we can do one of the things. Oh, wow! It's going to be perfect!"

Sam grabbed her father's hand and just about dragged him the rest of the way to the store.

For the next hour, Jacob Carter got the pleasure of watching his daughter impress the heck out of the salesmen as she peppered them with questions while explaining all about the science project and her ideas on how to make it work. As the pile of "must have" items got larger and larger the captain could already feel his wallet growing lighter, but he honestly didn't care. He and Laura had already known that Sam was brilliant when it came to science, but that was just from seeing the ease at which she learned things. This was the first opportunity for them to witness Sam getting real hands-on experience with building electronics and electrical devices, and it really drove home how truly gifted she was. Jacob had to wonder what career she would pursue. Electrical engineering perhaps. Then again, she seemed to be especially interested in physics, and she also adored astronomy and sometimes talked about being an astronaut.

One thing was for sure. Whatever field she chose to go into, she'd be damn good at it.

Sam was skipping as they headed back to the car, chattering away like a magpie. Their next stop was the hobby store and then a hardware store. By the time they got back home, Jacob's wallet was nearly empty – but his heart was full.

Everything was dumped out on the table, and Sam immediately got to work on some of the items needed for the project. She was so engrossed that she would have worked clear through lunch if her mother had let her.

"So, how much did all that stuff cost?" Laura asked her husband in a low voice as they watched Sam from the kitchen.

"More than I should have allowed. But I couldn't say no. I mean, look at her, Laura. Eight years old, and she's doing stuff like that."

His wife smiled. "I know. It's wonderful."

"I really think she's going to make something of her life. She's going to do important things." He grinned. "It's a good thing we're already saving for her college education."

By the time the evening meal arrived, Sam had gotten quite a bit done. It had been necessary for Jacob to do certain things that would have been too dangerous for Sam to do herself, like soldering. He'd assured her that it wouldn't disqualify her from the competition.

Shortly after dinner, Sam called Daniel.

"How's Caleb?" she asked.

"Okay. He cried a lot when we were at his mom's apartment. It's where he used to live, too." There was a long silence. "I never got to do anything like that when my mom and dad died. Most of our stuff was in Egypt, so I didn't get to have any of it. I had my Egyptian history book with me when they . . . when they died, so the foster care people let me have it." His voice dropped. "I don't even have any pictures of them. Caleb has pictures of his mom." There was another, briefer silence. "Did you go to the electronics store today?"

"Uh huh, and we got lots of stuff."

Sam talked with her friend about the things they'd gotten and what she'd done so far on the project.

"Can you come over tomorrow?" she asked.

"I don't know. I haven't done any of my homework yet. Besides, I wouldn't be any good at what you're doing. I'd probably mess things up."

"No you wouldn't! Besides, if you come over, you can help me with my history homework. It's a lot harder this time."

"Okay. I'll go ask Mrs. Underwood if it's all right."

Daniel came back on the line after a couple of minutes. "She said that I can come over if someone can pick me up."

"Hold on," Sam told him. She put the phone down and sought out her father. "Can you pick Daniel up tomorrow? We want to do our homework together."

"Sure, I can probably do that after lunch."

* * *

Jacob picked Daniel up at a little before one the next afternoon. As soon as the boy arrived at the Carter residence, Sam wanted to work on the science project, but her parents told her that homework needed to come first, so the two kids went off to the girl's bedroom to study. Still feeling bad about Daniel's poor grade on last week's science homework, Sam insisted on helping her friend with his homework first.

"I wonder why you're especially smart with science and math," Daniel mused about forty minutes later, attempting to absorb everything she'd been explaining and trying to teach him.

Sam shrugged. "Dad said that most people's brains are better with some things than other things and that, with people like me, it's even more that way. We have special talents, just like you do with languages and history and stuff."

With history in mind, the kids turned their attention to Sam's homework. She pulled out her fourth grade history book. She soon discovered that Daniel knew the entire contents of the book and well beyond, into things that fifth and sixth graders would be studying. Sam's head was soon spinning with all the stuff Daniel was trying to cram into it.

"I'm never going to be able to remember all that!" she exclaimed. "How can you remember so much?"

"I don't know. Mom and Dad always said that I had a really good memory. I don't think it can be all that good. If it was, I'd remember my multiplication tables better."

"Well, maybe memory can be good at some things but not others."

The instant the kids were done with their homework, Sam rushed Daniel into the dining room where, once again, the table was covered with various bits and pieces of the science project. Daniel looked at it all and just knew that he'd be utterly useless with this.

Sam showed him what she'd done so far, proudly displaying and explaining the idea that had suddenly struck her in the parking lot of the electronics store.

"With this we'll be able to do exactly what you wanted it to. It's going to look so cool! Have you gotten started on your part yet?"

"No. Because of all the stuff with Caleb, Mrs. Underwood hasn't been able to take me to the store to get the things I need."

"Do you know how you're going to do it?"

"Most of it." The boy explained to her what he was going to do.

Sam nodded her head. "That'll work great." She grinned. "We're going to have the best science project in the whole fair!"

Daniel would have been happy to just watch as Sam worked on the project, but she insisted that he get involved. By the time he was taken back home two and a half hours later, he'd actually learned some things, much to his surprise.

During his tutoring Monday afternoon, Daniel happened to mention the fact that he hadn't yet been able to get the things he needed for the science project. Quentin immediately volunteered to take Daniel to the hobby store and wherever else he needed to go.

"Oh, I couldn't expect you to do that," Diane said when the teacher called her. "I'm sure I'll be able to find the time this weekend to take him. Things around here have just been out of sorts since Caleb's mother died."

"Which is all the more reason for me to take Daniel. I really don't mind, Diane. In fact, it'll be fun."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Well . . . okay, then. But be sure to keep all your receipts so that I can reimburse you."

Daniel and Quentin went to the hobby store first, where they got the things that the teacher was pretty sure a department store's craft section wouldn't carry. Then they went on to the department store.

As they put the final bag of purchases in the trunk a while later, Quentin asked, "So, where are you going to make this thing? It's going to take quite a bit of room."

Daniel frowned. "I don't know. My bedroom isn't big enough, and I can't do it on the dining table. Maybe Mister Underwood would let me do it in the garage."

"It would be too cold out there for you." A thought came to Quentin, but he didn't tell the boy, knowing that he needed to discuss it with Kathleen first. "We'll get something figured out," he said instead.

A while later, after taking Daniel home, Quentin came up to his wife, who was busy fixing dinner.

"You've enjoyed having Daniel here in the afternoons, haven't you?" he asked.

"Sure. It's been great having him here. Why do you ask?" Kathleen looked at him. Seeing his expression, she said, "Okay, what have you got in that head of yours _this_ time?"

"Nothing as big as the haunted house, I assure you. You know about this science project that Daniel and Sam are doing together. Well, Daniel doesn't know where he's going to be able to do his part of it. He'll need lots of room, and. . . ."

"And you thought he could do it here."

Quentin studied her face. "I just figured that, since he was coming here on weekday afternoons anyway, it would just be a matter of him staying a while longer and working on the project for an hour or so."

"And where would he do it?"

"We could move the bed over and set up a table in one of the spare bedrooms. Then it would be out of the way." He watched his wife as she turned back to the counter and continued with the food preparation. "Bad idea?" he asked after several seconds of silence.

"Just be sure you don't get anything on the carpet," Kathleen said in reply.

Quentin grinned. "So, when did you decide to say yes?"

"Hmm. I think right after you said this bright idea wasn't going to be as big as the haunted house."

The teacher laughed and shook his head. "You do love to yank my chain, don't you."

"One of my greatest pleasures in life, dear."

Quentin leaned over and kissed her, catching Kathleen totally by surprise when he then tickled her ribs. She squealed and darted away from him.

"You know, tickling someone who has a big, sharp knife in their hands is not especially bright," she scolded.

"Perhaps not, but it was worth the risk."

Quentin gave Daniel a call. The boy was very excited when he was told that he was welcome to work on the science project at his teacher's house.

"Maybe I can get started on it tomorrow," he said.

"Sure, that would be fine. We'll stop by your place after school and pick up the stuff."

The next afternoon, after his tutoring for the day was over, Daniel got started on his portion of the science project. Quentin just sat back and watched, making only a few small suggestions to the boy. While he worked, Daniel imparted more of his knowledge on ancient history and mythology. The teacher found himself just shaking his head, wondering where the child kept it all stored in his brain. Daniel would be an amazing teacher when he grew up, if that's the path he chose to take. Quentin suspected, however, that he would follow in the footsteps of his parents and become an archeologist.

"Oh, by the way. I'm expecting to get some Italian language tapes in the mail soon," the teacher told his student.

Daniel's head lifted, his eyes bright. "Wow, that's great!"

"You can take them home and listen to them whenever you want. I have a portable tape player and some headphones that you can use."

"Thanks, Mister Greer."

Kathleen came into the room. "So, how's the project coming along?"

"Good," Daniel replied.

She looked at what he was doing. "I was wondering if you'd like to stay for dinner, that is if it's all right with your foster parents. We're having macaroni and cheese casserole tonight."

"Mm mmm," Quentin said.

"Sure, I'd like that, Mrs. Greer," Daniel told her.

Diane said that would be fine, so Daniel shared dinner with the Greers that evening. The adults very much enjoyed his company.

"Oh, by the way, Jack called a few days ago," Kathleen told the boy.

Daniel's eyes brightened with interest. "He did?"

"Uh huh. He asked how you were doing. He said to tell you that he hasn't forgotten about his promise to take you fishing."

Daniel smiled. He was looking forward to seeing Jack again. He wasn't sure if he'd like fishing, but it would still be fun to be with the man.

Daniel was taken home after dinner. When he entered the house after being dropped off by his teacher, he was very surprised to see Mister Underwood sitting at the coffee table with Caleb, putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Adam and Susy were both sitting on the living room floor, playing with toys. He didn't see Mrs. Underwood. When she didn't appear after a few minutes, he asked about her.

"She isn't feeling too well, Daniel," Paul explained. "She's lying down."

Concerned, the boy asked, "What's wrong with her?"

"She's sick to her stomach. She thinks she ate something that upset it."

"She's going to be okay?"

Paul smiled. "Sure, she'll be fine."

It was Paul who put the younger kids to bed that night, something that had never happened before in all the time Daniel had been with the Underwoods. He didn't seem to mind, though. In fact, he read a story to Susy to put her to sleep.

Daniel was getting ready for bed when he heard noises from down the hall. He opened the door and peeked out. That's when he recognized the sound. Someone was throwing up in the bathroom. Worried, he slowly walked toward the room. After the sound of retching stopped, he heard Mister Underwood's voice, then Mrs. Underwood. Her voice was weak and shaky.

"I knew I shouldn't have eaten that burrito," she said. "It just didn't taste right. Thank God I didn't get them for the kids."

"I think I'd better stay home from work tomorrow," Paul said.

"No, you can't. Isn't the regional meeting tomorrow?"

"Yes, but I'll just explain that you're sick, and I need to help take care of the kids."

"No, Paul. We can't afford to have you lose your job. I'll be all right. I'm sure I'll be feeling much better tomorrow."

Daniel walked up the rest of the way to the bathroom. Diane was bent over the sink, leaning heavily against it, her face chalk white and sweating. Paul was standing beside her, a hand on her back.

"A-are you really sick?" Daniel asked, getting scared.

Startled, the two adults looked at him.

"No, no," Diane assured him. "I just ate a bad burrito, which made me sick. I'll be fine in a couple of days."

Relaxing a little, the boy then said, "I can stay home from school and help."

Diane shook her head. "No, I couldn't let you do that."

"It's okay. Really. Maybe Mister Greer can get some of my schoolwork from Mrs. Mason and bring it over after school. Then I won't really be missing anything. There aren't any tests tomorrow."

"Let him do it, Diane," Paul said. "It won't hurt for him to miss a day, and I know that you're not going to be in any condition to take care of the kids tomorrow. You remember when I got food poisoning? I was still sick as a dog the next day."

Diane paused before reluctantly nodding her head.

Leaving her in the bathroom, Paul walked Daniel to the boy's bedroom.

"Thank you for offering to stay home, Daniel," he said. "That was very nice of you."

"I just want to help."

The man looked at the boy. "Yes, you do, don't you. I never thanked you for saving Susy like you did. It was a pretty courageous thing to do, and, well . . . I'm proud of you for that."

The statement really surprised the boy. "You are?"

Paul nodded. "I don't really know how to be a father, Daniel, but I am trying to learn." He smiled a little. "Now, go on to bed. It's past your bedtime."

* * *

The next morning, Diane was still pretty sick, so Daniel fixed breakfast for the kids. It was just cereal and juice, but the woman was very grateful for the help. Afterwards, he put on cartoons for the other children to watch, then cleaned up the little messes on the table.

By ten, Daniel's foster siblings didn't want to watch any more TV and were getting restless. Daniel decided to play a game of hide-and-go-seek with them. After that, as Diane lay watching on the couch, he played a series of other games with them, some of which he didn't know how to play and had to learn from Caleb, who seemed to be quite proud of the fact that he knew things the older boy didn't.

For lunch, Daniel fixed everyone peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He put too much jelly on the bread, which oozed out all over the table, as well as Susy's face and top. He washed her face off and helped her change into a clean shirt.

By the time his three foster siblings laid down for their afternoon nap, Daniel had come to the conclusion that taking care of little kids was a whole lot of work.

* * *

Sam frowned down at the book before her, not really seeing the words on the page. She was too worried about Daniel. He hadn't come to school today, and she didn't know why. At the lunch break, she'd asked Mrs. Mason about it, but the woman didn't know the reason. She just knew that Mrs. Underwood had called and told the office that Daniel wouldn't be in school today.

Was he sick? Did he get hurt? Did something else bad happen? Sam really needed to know. Maybe Mister Greer would know.

After the final bell rang, Sam quickly gathered her things and hurried over to the classroom of Daniel's tutor.

"Mister Greer, Daniel wasn't in school today. Do you know why? I'm really worried."

"Don't worry, Sam. He's fine," the man told her. "The vice principal just spoke with me. Daniel's foster mother is sick today, so Daniel stayed home to help take care of the other children. I'm going to go get some schoolwork for him from Mrs. Mason and take it over there."

Sam relaxed, very relieved that her best friend was all right.

When she got home, she told her mother about the whole thing.

"Oh, I wished I'd known," Laura said. "I'd have been happy to go over and help. Then Daniel wouldn't have had to miss school." She called the Underwoods and learned that Diane was feeling a lot better, though still a little queasy.

"What are you going to do about dinner?" Laura asked her.

"Paul will be getting some Kentucky Fried Chicken."

"So, is there anything I can do?"

"No, we're fine, but thank you for offering. Daniel has been a wonderful helper today. I don't know what I'd have done without him. He is just the sweetest little boy in the world. He deserves to be adopted and have a family of his own, although I know if that happened, I'd really miss him." Diane sighed. "But children Daniel's age so rarely get adopted. Everyone seems to want babies and very young children. It's such a shame. I know that anyone who adopted Daniel would be so lucky to have him." There was a pause. "I need to go now."

"All right. Please do call if you need anything. I mean that."

Later that evening, Jacob noticed that his wife seemed to be deep in thought. "What's on your mind?" he asked.

"Um . . . oh, I was just thinking about some things." She changed the subject. "That science project of Sam's seemed to be coming along well."

The captain smiled. "That daughter of ours is a wonder." The smile faded. "I've been looking at our finances, trying to figure out if we can afford to put more aside for her college tuition. I want her to go to a really good school, Laura. Of course, I want Mark to as well, but Sam really needs to get into a school that will be worthy of her gifts. She's going to graduate early, so we need to consider that."

Laura frowned, thinking about how much tuition for one of the better colleges would cost. "Perhaps she'll get a scholarship."

"Well, that's always a possibility, but we can't count on it."

Laura sighed. "No, I suppose not."

Jacob looked at her. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm just thinking about the money."

Jacob wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "We'll figure something out, Laura. Don't worry. After all, things could be worse. We could have more kids to feed, clothe and put through college."

Laura frowned and looked down at her lap. "Yes, you're right."

Jacob stared at her. "There is something wrong, isn't there." A thought suddenly jumped into his mind. "Laura, you're not pregnant, are you? We've been so careful—"

"No, I'm not pregnant," she interrupted.

"Then what's wrong?"

Laura sighed again. "Diane and I were talking today, and. . . ." She shook her head. "It's nothing, just a silly thought I had. Forget it." She got to her feet. "I'm pretty tired tonight, so I think I'll go to bed early." She kissed her husband. "Stay up as late as you want. You won't wake me."

Jacob watched her leave with a frown on his face, wondering what it was that she didn't want to tell him.

* * *

The next day at school, Daniel told Sam all about his day taking care of the other kids.

"Being a parent must be a whole lot of work," he said.

"Yeah, sometimes, Mom looks really tired at the end of the day. At least you didn't have to clean house. That's lots and lots of work."

The topic of discussion changed to the science project. They'd let Mrs. Mason know that they were definitely going to have an entry for the science fair, which pleased her. She was eager to see what the two brightest children in the school would come up with for their project.

Apparently, Bud had overheard the conversation about the science fair. He came up to their table at lunch and began taunting them.

"There ain't no way a couple of babies like you are gonna have something that can win. It'll probably be something really stupid that all the judges will laugh at."

Sam lifted her chin defiantly. "No, it won't. It's going to be great. You just wait and see. I don't see _you_ making something for the fair."

"I don't want to enter some stupid science fair. That's for geeks and losers."

"No, it isn't," Kenny said timidly, feeling the need to defend two of his best friends.

Bud glared at him. "And who asked you, you little shrimp?" He suddenly leaned toward the boy, towering over him. Kenny flinched back, lifting his arm to cover his face, as if fearing the older boy was going to hit him.

Seeing the fear on Kenny's face infuriated Daniel, and he jumped to his feet. "Leave him alone," he told Bud. "Why are you such a bully? You're always picking on everyone and trying to scare them. I hope your father does send you to military school. Then you won't be able to pick on anyone, because military schools are really tough and strict. That's what Captain Carter told me."

"Yeah, I heard that they make kids stand at attention all day long!" said a third-grader at the next table over.

"Yeah, and you have to get up at dawn and do exercises," another boy said, grinning gleefully.

A third child pipped up, "And, after you graduate, you have to go into the Army or the Marines or something, where you get shot at."

One of the fifth grade boys then declared, "Bud would pee his pants if he got shot at." That made several others laugh.

Just then, a teacher came over. "What's going on here?"

The other kids shut up, returning their attention to their food.

The teacher turned to Bud. "Go sit down and eat your lunch. You've caused enough trouble for one day."

As the teacher left, Bud, who was now red-faced, turned and looked at Daniel. There was pure hatred in his eyes, and it scared the boy. Daniel now wished that he hadn't said anything. But Bud was being mean and scaring Kenny. He couldn't just sit and do nothing about that.

After everyone settled down, Sam turned to her best friend and grinned. "Boy, you really told him, didn't you. I'm glad you did. Bud is such a jerk. And I hope he _does_ get sent to military school."

After school that afternoon, as Daniel walked toward Mister Greer's classroom, he spotted Bud. The boy was standing a few yards away, watching him, a dark, hard look on his face. A chill passed down Daniel's spine, and he hurried his pace. When he looked back over his shoulder, he saw that Bud was gone, but he still didn't relax until he was safely inside his tutor's classroom.

Noticing the look on Daniel's face, Quentin asked, "Is something wrong?"

The boy shook his head.

"Well, I'll just be a few minutes."

Daniel waited patiently as the teacher finished up a few things, feeling safe and protected in the man's presence. Even so, when they left the classroom, Daniel still found himself glancing about for some sign of Bud.

He failed to see the boy, who stood just inside the doorway of an empty classroom, watching him and Quentin head away down the corridor, eyes glittering with hatred and rage. 


	27. Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

The next day, before school began, Sam talked with Daniel about the science project. She asked if he could come over so that they could work on it some more together.

"I was going to go over to Mister Greer's tomorrow and Sunday," he told her. "I want to get the frame finished tomorrow so that I can put the modeling clay on Sunday. I need to put all the clay on in one day so parts of it don't get dry."

"Wow, you'll have your whole part done this weekend."

Daniel shook his head. "I'll still have lots of things to do after the clay sets, like painting it. I want to make it look real."

"When you get it all done, you need to bring it over to my house so that we can do the other stuff to it." Sam grinned. "I can't wait until we get everything all finished."

After school let out that afternoon, Daniel headed over to Mister Greer's classroom, as usual.

"I'm sorry, Daniel, but I'm going to have to cancel our tutoring session today," the teacher said when he came in. "A last minute teachers' meeting has been called. I'd have told you sooner, but I didn't find out until just a few minutes before lunch ended."

Daniel was disappointed, but made an effort to hide it. "That's okay, Mister Greer. I understand."

Quentin smiled. "I will see you tomorrow, though. That hasn't changed. I'll pick you up at nine, all right?"

After saying goodbye to the teacher, Daniel headed for the school exit. He'd be taking the bus home today. He just hoped that Mrs. Underwood would be home. She wouldn't be expecting him so soon.

Daniel was still several yards from the exit when he saw Bud. The boy was standing right in his path.

"Where do you think _you're_ going, retard?" Bud asked.

Daniel clutched his book bag tighter to his chest. "I need to catch the bus."

Bud sneered. "Yeah, no going home with Mister Greer today, huh. Teachers' meeting."

Daniel's eyes darted about, hoping to see an adult nearby, but there weren't any, just children hurrying to catch their buses.

He turned back to Bud. "Please let me by," he said.

Bud shook his head. "Uh uh. You can't go out this way. Go another way."

"But I might miss my bus," Daniel protested.

"Aw, then the poor retard would have to walk all the way home." Bud's face hardened. "Tough. I'm not letting you by. Why don't you go crying to Mister Greer like the little baby you are?"

Daniel hesitated, then turned away. He toyed with the idea of going to Mister Greer and telling him what happened, but then he really would be a baby. He'd just go out one of the other exits. The one that went out onto the playground and lunch area wasn't far away. He'd still make it in time to catch his bus.

Daniel hurried down the mostly empty hallway toward the other exit, glancing back a couple of times to make sure Bud wasn't following him.

He reached the door and swung it open, walking out into a cold drizzle. He'd barely made it four feet beyond the door when he was roughly grabbed from behind. His startled cry was muffled by a hand over his mouth. He struggled in vain against the arms that held him. After a few seconds, he heard the door open again.

Whoever was holding him turned him around to face the door. The person coming through it was Bud.

The older boy smiled nastily. "You walked right into that one, didn't you," he said. "Such a retard."

Another boy came trotting up. Daniel recognized him as one of the kids he'd seen with Bud at lunch a couple of weeks ago. The person holding Daniel was probably the other boy he'd noticed that day.

"The coast is clear," the newcomer said.

Bud nodded and turned to Daniel. The hatred was back in his eyes.

"Because of you and that geek Air Force brat, people are laughing at me and saying I'm a coward and dumber than a couple of eight-year-old brats. They used to all be afraid of me until you came around." He drew close and put his face right up to Daniel's. "So, now, I'm gonna teach you a lesson about messing with me. By the time I get through with you, you'll do anything I tell you to from now on."

Daniel's heart was racing with fear. The hand had been removed from his mouth, and he stammered, "Y-y-you'll g-get expelled."

"No, I won't, because you're not gonna tell anyone. If you do, I'll hurt your little friend Kenny. I'd hurt the Air Force brat, too, but there's no way she wouldn't go running to her dad and tell him."

"Bud, we need to get out of here before someone sees us," the boy holding Daniel said.

"Right. Let's go."

The boys began dragging Daniel across the empty playground. His struggles against them were useless, his cry for help silenced by the hand back over his mouth. In the distance, Daniel could see the school buses being loaded with kids, but it might as well have been a hundred miles away.

He was taken to the fence that separated the schoolyard from an empty field that was being cleared for a housing development and pulled roughly through a hole. His pant leg caught on something and ripped.

As Daniel was dragged away across the field, he wondered if he'd live to see Sam and the other people he loved again.

* * *

Out of breath, Sam got at the end of the line of kids loading onto her bus. She'd almost forgotten one of the electronics books she'd brought to school with her and had to go back to get it. She was going to need it for this weekend. She had plans to work on the science project all Saturday and Sunday. If she and Daniel did a really good job, maybe they'd win first prize at the fair!

A squeal of laughter made Sam look over her shoulder at a couple of girls. She was about to turn back when her eyes caught some movement in the distance, at the far end of the playground. Three older boys were there. As she looked more closely, she saw that they were fighting with or dragging a younger child. In the second after that, Sam recognized the bright blue jacket the younger boy was wearing. It was Daniel's.

Sheer panic filled Sam's mind. Not stopping to think, not considering that the wisest thing to do would be to go get an adult, she broke from the line and began running as fast as her legs would carry her, intent upon saving her best friend.

By the time she reached the spot where she'd seen the kids, they were nowhere in sight. Sam looked around frantically. Her eyes spotted a jagged opening in the fence a few yards away and went to it. Caught on the fence was a piece of cloth. Sam saw that it was the same color as the pants Daniel had been wearing.

Dropping the bag that held her books and other things, Sam squirmed through the hole. She saw footprints in the muddy ground and followed them.

A cry of pain froze Sam in her tracks, her blood going cold. A second outcry broke her immobility and made her dash headlong toward a bulldozer a few yards away. When she came around the other side it was to the sight of Daniel being held by one boy, his arm twisted behind his back, as Bud punched him twice in the stomach.

"Leave him alone!" Sam screamed, launching herself at Bud. Taken by surprise, the boy fell under her weight. He threw Sam off of him, and she landed beside Daniel, who'd been release and had crumpled into a heap on the ground.

"Hey, it's the geek Air Force brat!" Bud crowed. "I guess maybe I'll beat you up, too, after all."

"Leave . . . her . . . alone," Daniel gasped, curled into a fetal position around the pain in his stomach and side.

"My daddy's going to kill you!" Sam yelled, more furious than scared. "He'll take his gun, and he'll shoot you and kill you!"

The declaration made one of Bud's cohorts nervous. "Maybe we should just go, Bud. I don't want no psycho Air Force guy coming after me."

"Maybe Wayne's right," said the other boy. "We did this because we figured nobody'd find out. Now that she's here, it's all changed."

"I'm not done teaching the retard a lesson yet," Bud declared. He reached down and grabbed Sam by her hair and lifted her up, making her cry out in pain. He glared into her eyes. "You're not going to tell your dad. You're not going to tell anybody. If you do, I'll hurt your boyfriend Daniel so bad that maybe he'll die."

That made Wayne even more nervous. Nobody had said anything about killing someone. He didn't want to go to jail for murder.

"I'm outta here," he said, turning and running away.

The departure made Bud even angrier. He grasped Sam's arm and twisted it painfully, wrenching another cry from her.

Fighting past the pain in his body, Daniel struggled to get to his knees, to try to stop Bud from hurting Sam, but the other boy held him down. Tears that he'd held in while he was being beaten fell from his eyes as Sam's arm was twisted more, making her whimper.

"Please leave her alone," he begged. "Please."

Bud never got the chance to respond. There was a sudden blur of motion, and, in the next second, he was on the ground, another boy on top of him, pummeling Bud with his fists. Sam, who suddenly recalled what Randy had said about dealing with Bud if he ever tried to hurt her or Daniel, looked at the new arrival, expecting to see the blond boy. But it was not Randy who was in the midst of beating Bud to a pulp – it was Sam's brother.

Taken totally by surprise by the sudden attack, Bud's friend just stood there, mouth hanging open, and watched as the big, tough Bud, overwhelmed by the mad dog attack of Mark, started blubbering like a baby, screaming in pain at every blow.

At last, Mark's fury cooled enough that some sense returned to his brain. He got to his feet, hands still clenched into fists.

"If you ever hurt my sister or Daniel again, I'll kill you!" he yelled down at Bud. He grabbed Bud's coat collar and yanked him partway off the ground. "You got that?"

"Yes, yes," Bud whimpered, cringing away.

Mark let him go. His face a bloody mess, Bud staggered to his feet, then ran away, his friend right on his tail. Mark turned to the younger kids.

"Are you guys okay?"

Sam, who was cradling her arm against her chest answered, "I'm okay, but Bud really hurt Daniel a lot."

Mark knelt beside the boy, who was still lying on the ground. "Where did he hurt you?"

"In the stomach and my side," Daniel whispered, starting to feel sick, his stomach burning like fire.

Mark got to his feet. "I'll go get help."

He ran as fast as his legs would carry him back to the school and went hurtling inside, the sound of the door banging open echoing down the hall. He looked around and didn't see anyone. He remembered hearing something about a teacher's meeting today and headed at a run for the room in which he knew they had such things. The sight and sound of him bursting into the room startled everyone there.

Mark's eyes fell upon the biggest person in the room. "Mister Greer! Bud Whitman's hurt Daniel! I think it might be really bad!"

The adrenaline of fear rushed through Quentin. And then he saw the blood on Mark's shirt and hands, and his fear heightened to terror. Was that Daniel's blood? He exploded to his feet.

"Where?" he snapped out.

"He and Sam are in that field behind the school. Bud hurt her, too, but I think she's okay."

"Call an ambulance," Quentin called over his shoulder to the other teachers as he hurried to the door. "And the police."

As the man ran with Mark across the school grounds, horrifying images were marching before his mind's eyes, pictures of a critically injured Daniel lying bleeding on the ground. By the time they reached the bulldozer, Quentin was feeling physically ill. And then he saw the real Daniel on the ground, and his gut clenched painfully. Getting control of himself, he saw that there was no sign of any blood. Even so, that didn't mean that Daniel wasn't seriously injured.

Quentin knelt before the boy and gently touched his face. "Daniel? Daniel, tell me where it hurts."

"My stomach and my side. I feel sick."

Quentin brushed a lock of rain-dampened hair from the child's brow. "Help is on the way, Daniel. You're going to be all right." He turned to Sam, seeing that she was holding her arm against her body. The wrist looked slightly swollen. "Sam? Are you all right? What's wrong with your arm?"

"Bud twisted it really bad," Mark spit out, his anger returning.

"Let's see." The teacher gently examined the arm. "I don't think it's broken, but it might be sprained. Try not to move it."

Quentin looked back down at Daniel and saw that the boy was shivering. Lying on the cold, wet ground, the chill of the earth was penetrating through his clothing, the light rain making it even worse.

Though there was some danger in moving him, Quentin decided he couldn't leave Daniel lying on the wet ground like that. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around the boy, then very carefully lifted Daniel's upper body onto his lap and chest, taking the utmost care not to jostle any ribs that might be broken. Putting his arms around the child, he rested a hand on Daniel's hair, closing his eyes for a moment against the tears that were threatening to fall.

Perhaps a minute had passed when they all heard the sound of approaching sirens.

"Go flag them down, Mark," Quentin said. The boy ran off. A few moments later, the sirens stopped. Minutes after that, two paramedics and a police officer came running up. The paramedics got busy examining both Daniel and Sam.

Quentin and Mark stood a few feet away, watching anxiously. The cop approached them.

"We were informed that another child did this," the officer said, notepad and pen in hand.

Quentin nodded. "Bud Whitman. You can get all the information on him at the school. He's eleven, and this isn't the first time that he's harmed Daniel. He's the school bully. I just never thought . . ." his eyes went to Daniel, "I never thought he'd go this far."

"He had another guy with him," Mark said.

"Did you see everything?" the cop asked him.

Mark shook his head. "I was in PE playing basketball, but I tore my shorts, and the coach told me to go change. When I was at my locker, one of the other kids told me that they just saw my sister running across the playground. She should have been on her way home, so I went to see what was going on."

For the first time, Quentin noticed how the boy was dressed. Underneath his jacket was a loose T-shirt. His legs were bare, his lower body clothed only in a pair of torn gym shorts.

Mark continued. "When I went out into the playground, I saw Sam's bag lying on the ground near the fence. There was a hole in the fence. I figured she went through it, so I did, too, to go find her." His expression darkened. "I heard her cry out, like she was in pain. When I came around the bulldozer, I saw Bud Whitman holding her by her hair and twisting her arm like he was going to break it."

The policeman jotted everything down. "What happened next?"

"I beat him up," Mark replied bluntly. "He hurt my sister. He and his friend ran away. I think the other kid's name is Carl."

"Carl Prescott?" Quentin asked.

"Yeah, I think so."

The teacher nodded. "He's one of the kids who pals around with Bud."

The cop wrote down a few more things, asking for the full names of everyone involved and the names and phone numbers of the people to contact regarding Sam and Daniel. "All right. I think I have everything I need for now."

"Are you going to arrest Bud?" Mark asked.

"Well, he is a minor, so there are limits to what the courts can do, but he did commit assault on two other children, so I'm guessing that he'll be spending some time in Juvenile Hall. It all depends on how serious the children's injuries are."

That comment made both Quentin and Mark turn back to Bud's two victims. Sam's hand and wrist were being wrapped in an Ace bandage. Daniel was still lying on the ground, being examined by the other paramedic.

Needing to know how the boy was, Quentin came forward. "How is he?"

The man attending to Daniel looked up. "There doesn't appear to be any fractured ribs, and, so far, there's no indication of internal bleeding, but he took some nasty blows to his abdominal area, so we need to have him checked out at the hospital."

"Is Sam okay?" Daniel asked, looking over toward his friend. He couldn't see her because his view was being blocked by the man working on her.

"She'll be fine," the paramedic assured him. "Her arm is just hurt a bit."

At that moment, two other men arrived with a gurney. Daniel was loaded onto it and was wheeled to the waiting ambulance, Sam walking behind.

As the group reached the emergency vehicles, Quentin said, "I hope you have room in that ambulance, because I'm coming, too."

The medical personnel took one look at the expression on the face of the six-foot-five, two-hundred-fifty pound man and decided that arguing might not be a wise course of action.

"Oh, man, I gotta call Mom!" Mark exclaimed. "She's probably freaking out because Sam wasn't on the bus."

"Go on back to the school and call," Quentin told him. "And ask her to call Daniel's foster mother. She wasn't expecting Daniel home because I was supposed to be tutoring him today, so she'd have no idea something is wrong."

That's when the guilt hit Quentin. If he hadn't had to back out on today's tutoring, Daniel would be sitting safe and sound in his library. True, it wasn't Quentin's fault that he'd had to cancel, but that didn't stop him from feeling guilty anyway.

All the way to the hospital, Quentin's eyes never left the small figure on the gurney. Daniel was clearly in pain, but he hadn't made a sound, suffering in silence. At last, the teacher couldn't stand it anymore and gently took the boy's hand. Blue eyes fluttered open to meet his brown ones.

Quentin forced a smile to his lips. "Hey there. How are you doing, Danny?" he asked softly.

"It still hurts, but not as bad as before."

"That's good."

"I don't want to go to the hospital again."

"No, I bet you don't, but the doctors need to make sure that you're okay."

"Is Sam really all right?"

Quentin glanced over at the girl, who was sitting on the bench, close to the cab. "Sure, she's fine. She's right there." He pointed at her.

Daniel craned his neck to look at her. Seeing her bandaged hand and wrist, his face filled with distress.

"Is it broken?" he asked in a trembling voice.

"No, it's just sprained," Sam replied. "It hardly hurts at all." Actually, it hurt quite a bit, but she didn't want Daniel to know that.

They arrived at the hospital a minute later. As the kids were taken out of the ambulance, Quentin didn't know what he should do. He wanted to stay with Daniel, but Sam couldn't be left alone. Though it was a tough decision to make, he decided that he needed to remain with Sam, who would be spending some time in the emergency waiting room, her injury not bad enough to rush her into the ER ahead of more serious cases.

Sitting in the waiting room, Quentin looked down at the little girl, who appeared to be fighting tears, an expression of fear on her face.

"Hey. Daniel's going to be okay," he told her.

A pair of tear-filled blue eyes looked at him. "But what if he's not? Bud was hitting him really, really hard." The tears slipped free. "I heard Daniel scream."

A muscle in Quentin's jaw twitched as his teeth clenched. If Bud Whitman was an adult. . . . The teacher calmed his anger with an effort.

"I'm sure Daniel will be fine, Sam, although he's probably not going to be feeling so well for a while."

At that moment, Mark and a frantic-looking Laura came hurrying in. The second she saw Sam, the woman rushed over.

"Oh, Sam, honey. Are you all right?" she asked in a shaking voice, her hands gliding over her daughter's hair and face.

"I'm okay, Mom," Sam assured her. "I just have a sprained wrist."

Laura touched the bandages. Then she pulled the girl into her arms, holding her tight. There were tears on her face when she pulled back and turned to Quentin.

"How's Daniel?"

"We're not sure yet. The paramedics didn't think there was any serious damage. Did you call Diane Underwood?"

Laura nodded. "She should be on her way soon. She was going to see if a neighbor could watch the other kids."

Diane arrived around ten minutes later, immediately asking how Daniel was. Not even a minute after that, Jacob came rushing in, looking nearly as frantic as Laura had. The second he saw his daughter, he was across the room in a flash and holding her tightly.

"Are you all right, sweetheart?" he asked in a voice that trembled slightly as he scanned her face.

Sam nodded. "My wrist is just sprained."

Jacob looked down at the injury. The knowledge that it had been inflicted by another person made fury begin to burn deep inside him. He looked up at the others.

"And Daniel?"

"We're still waiting for word," Quentin told him. "Apparently, Bud punched him several times in the abdomen and sides."

The news made Jacob's anger grow to an almost unmanageable level. "So, it was that kid again," he growled. "The message I got just said that Sam and Daniel had been attacked and were in the hospital. So, what's the whole story?"

Jacob was filled in on what was known about the incident.

"Bud was crying like a baby," Mark declared with his chin high after recounting what he did.

Normally, Jacob would not be pleased by the news that his son had attacked another child, but, this time, the captain wasn't the least bit unhappy about it. Mark had bravely rushed in and saved Daniel and his sister. Who knew how badly the two children might have been harmed if not for his actions?

Jacob put an arm around his son. "You saved Sam and Daniel, Mark. You should be proud of that."

A doctor came walking up to the group. "Which of you is a parent of Daniel Jackson?"

"I'm his foster mother," Diane replied. "Is he all right?"

The man nodded. "He'll be fine. There were no internal injuries, as far as we can tell, and no cracked ribs. He got off lucky."

"Thank God," Quentin murmured.

"He is very bruised and sore, though, and he has some mildly strained muscles in his left arm from having it twisted behind his back. We've got him on a mild pain reliever. We'd like to keep him overnight just for observation, but he got very upset when we mentioned it." The doctor turned back to Diane. "Perhaps you can talk to him." He looked down at Sam. "And what about you, young lady? How does that arm feel?"

"It hurts a little," Sam admitted.

"Well, we need to get you x-rayed to make sure everything is in one piece."

Sam was taken into the ER, Laura accompanying her, as Diane was taken to be with Daniel. Quentin wanted to be with the boy, too, but he needed to call his wife and fill her in.

"Oh, no!" Kathleen cried upon hearing the news. "Are they sure Daniel is okay?"

"Yes, they're pretty sure he's fine. They want to keep him overnight to be on the safe side, but he's understandably upset about another stay in the hospital."

"This is just horrible. How could any child do something so cruel and brutal?"

Quentin sighed. "I wish I knew, Kat. We were aware that Bud had a mean streak and problems with anger, but I had no idea that he could turn that vicious. He could have killed Daniel. According to Sam, he threatened to do that very thing, if she told anyone about what happened. This was premeditated, Kat. According to Sam, there were two other boys helping Bud, and one of them said something that makes it pretty obvious this whole thing was planned out in advance. Bud targeted Daniel and made plans to harm him."

"But why? What could that sweet little boy have done to make Bud hate him so?"

"I have my beliefs and suspicions. Hopefully, we'll learn the whole story once we talk to Daniel and Bud is in custody."

"Are you going to stay there a while longer?"

"Yes. I want to see Daniel. I also need to contact the police and let them know that there was a third boy involved. We only knew about Bud and Carl when I talked to the police before."

"I hope Bud goes to prison," Kathleen said in an angry voice. "I know he's just a boy, but he deserves to be locked up for what he did to Daniel and Sam, for what he _could_ have done to them, if Mark hadn't shown up."

"Well, that'll be up to the authorities. I'd guess that he will be spending some time in detention at Juvenile Hall. I do know one thing for sure. He _will_ be expelled for this. I'll be pushing for an expulsion for Carl Prescott and Wayne Banks as well."

After hanging up with Kathleen, Quentin called the police and told them about Wayne. He asked if they'd caught Bud and was told that they hadn't. The boy apparently hadn't come home yet.

The teacher was entering the waiting room when a nurse came up to him.

"Are you Mister Greer?"

"Yes."

"Could you come into the ER with me?"

Quentin grew concerned. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, yes and no. It's nothing serious."

Quentin exchanged a glance with Jacob, then followed the nurse into the emergency room. He was taken to one of the exam areas. The curtain was pulled back to reveal Diane and a very upset Daniel. The teacher immediately stepped up to the examination bed.

"Hey. What's wrong?" he asked the child in it.

"I don't want to stay here," Daniel replied, nearly in tears. "Please don't let them make me, Mister Greer."

"It would only be for one night, Daniel. That's all. The doctors just want to keep an eye on you and make sure you really are okay."

"But I _am_ okay," Daniel insisted. "It doesn't hurt nearly as much now, and the doctor said nothing was broken." His eyes filled with tears. "Please, Mister Greer. I want to go home."

Quentin's heart almost broke at the plea. He turned to the doctor.

"Is it really necessary for him to stay? Daniel was in the hospital for several days with pneumonia a few months ago, and, before that. . . . Well, let's just say that he's been seeing way too much of hospitals."

The doctor frowned slightly. "Well, no, it's not absolutely necessary. It would just be a precaution, in case we missed something. If he goes home, I'd have to insist that he be taken to a doctor in the morning."

"I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem." Quentin looked to Diane for confirmation.

"I can take him to the clinic if his regular doctor can't see him," she said. "And I'll check on him during the night to make sure he's all right."

The doctor nodded. "All right, then. Let me just get some prescriptions written for him and take care of a few other things."

Quentin turned back to Daniel, who looked immensely relieved.

"Thank you, Mister Greer," the boy said.

Quentin stayed for several minutes, then decided to go back out to the waiting room to fill everyone else in. He was surprised to see that Laura and Sam still weren't back.

"Still waiting?" he asked Jacob.

"Yes, and I'm beginning to wonder what's taking so long. So, what's up with Daniel?"

"He's gong home. Not surprisingly, he really didn't want to stay here. The doctor relented and is letting him leave under the condition that he be taken to a doctor in the morning."

"Well, I sure can't blame him for not wanting to stay. That poor kid has spent way too much time in hospitals."

Quentin nodded. "My car is still at the school, so I'll catch a ride with Daniel and Diane and have Kathleen pick me up from their house."

Several more minutes had passed before Jacob caught sight of his wife and daughter. And then he saw the cast on Sam's arm. He was on his feet immediately.

"It was broken?" he exclaimed.

A doctor had accompanied the mother and daughter. "The x-rays showed a hairline fracture of the ulna," he explained. "It's a very small fracture and will likely heal quickly. The cast is mostly just to protect and stabilize the arm and let that bone heal without danger of further stress or injury."

_'That little monster broke my baby girl's arm!'_ was the thought that screamed through Jacob's brain.

Seeing the rage flickering in her husband's eyes, Laura quickly said, "She'll be fine, Jacob."

Sam looked up at the adults with anxious eyes. "Is Daniel okay?"

"He's fine, Sammie," her father assured her. "He'll be going home today." He brushed the hair from his daughter's face. "Come on. Let's get you home."

"But I want to see Daniel."

"You can see him tomorrow, and perhaps you can give him a call this evening, after we've given him some time to rest. He's got a lot of healing to do, just like you."

Tears began filling Sam's eyes. "We won't be able to be in the science fair," she lamented. "It'll be weeks and weeks before the cast come off, and then it'll be too late."

Jacob knelt before her and chucked her under the chin. "Hey. We'll work something out. Between you and Daniel, I'm sure you'll still be able to get your project finished."

"I can help hold things," Mark offered, his brotherly protective instincts coming to the fore again over the sight of that cast on Sam's arm. If he'd known that Bud had actually broken her arm, he wouldn't have stopped hitting Bud's until the guy's whole _face_ was broken.

Daniel and Diane emerged from the ER just a few minutes after the Carters had left. It was obvious by the way the boy was moving that he was very sore.

They stopped by a pharmacy to fill the prescriptions for Daniel. Once they were at the Underwood's place and Daniel was situated in bed, Diane asked if Quentin would mind watching him for a few minutes as she went to get the other kids from the neighbor.

"Sure. I'm in no big hurry," he said. "I'd like to stay and visit with Daniel for a while anyway."

After Diane had left, Quentin called Kathleen to let her know about the change in plans.

"So, how much time should I give you?" she asked before her husband had even told her that he wanted to stay for a while.

"Half an hour. I don't want to stay too long. Daniel needs rest."

"Okay. See you then."

Hanging up, Quentin returned to Daniel's room. He saw that the boy was staring up at the ceiling. He walked up to the bed.

"How are you doing?"

"Okay. I wish I could have seen Sam."

"I believe they plan on bringing her over tomorrow." Quentin paused. "Um . . . it turned out that there was a fracture in her arm after all."

Tears flooded Daniel's eyes. "I-it's broken?"

"It's not serious, Daniel, what's called a hairline fracture. That means there's just a thin crack in the bone. In a few weeks, it'll be as good as new."

Daniel's expression darkened. "I hate Bud."

Quentin sighed and sat on the bed. "I know you have good reason to hate him, Daniel. He hurt you and your best friend. But hate is an ugly thing. You shouldn't hate anybody."

Daniel appeared to think that over. "Is it okay if I just really, really don't like him?"

Quentin smiled and caressed his hair. "Yes, that's okay. I can't say that he's a favorite person of mine either."

"Are they going to put him in jail?"

"Not like they would if Bud was an adult. But there is a place called Juvenile Hall, which is where they put kids who have broken the law. He might be put there for a while."

"And he'll be expelled, right?"

Quentin's voice firmed. "Yes, he'll be expelled."

"Good. I don't ever want to see him again."

Quentin gazed at the face of his pupil. The urge to hug the boy finally reached the point where it could no longer be denied. He leaned forward and gently pulled the child into his arms. As he held Daniel, his emotions suddenly spilled over out of his control.

"Mister Greer, are you crying?" Daniel asked after a moment.

The teacher pulled away a bit, wiping a finger over his eyes. "Yes, I guess I am. This really scared me, Daniel. I was very afraid that you were badly hurt and that you might die." He cupped the boy's face. "I care about you a great deal. You are very important to me."

Daniel wrapped his little arms around the big man. "I love you, Mister Greer," he whispered.

Quentin hugged him back, placing a kiss upon his forehead. "I love you, too, Danny." 


	28. Chapter 28

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Over the next half-hour, Quentin kept Daniel in conversation, wanting to keep the boy's mind off his discomfort and what happened. The conversation eventually turned to the science project.

"Are we still going to be able to do it with Sam's arm being broken?" Daniel asked.

"I'm sure you'll manage. You'll have three good hands between you. That's more than Sam would have had if she was doing it by herself and hadn't gotten hurt. And Mark said that he'd lend a hand, if you needed it."

"I'm really glad he showed up and beat up Bud. If he hadn't come, Bud would have probably broken Sam's arm really bad."

Quentin noted that the boy said nothing about the further injuries _he_ probably would have sustained. Daniel seemed to have a natural inclination to focus on the plight of others over his own. It was an admirable character trait, but Quentin worried that it might lead to the boy showing too little regard for his own safety.

Daniel's eyes suddenly widened. "My books! I dropped my book bag when they grabbed me. They're outside and will get all wet and ruined."

"Did you have any personal books in the bag or just school books?"

"Just school books and my notebook."

"Then don't worry about it. We can get you new books, if we have to."

Daniel frowned, hating the thought of any book getting ruined.

The ringing of the doorbell heralded the arrival of Kathleen. A moment later, she came into the room. She hurried forward and gave Daniel a gentle hug, being careful not to aggravate his injuries.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, brushing her fingers through the boy's hair.

"Better than before. The pain pills make it hurt a lot less."

Kathleen smiled down at him, though the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. She was too angry and upset over what had happened. It was wrong for any child to be the victim of a physical assault, but it seemed to be so much more wrong for it to have happened to a child like Daniel, who was so full of love and would never intentionally bring harm to anyone. And there was Sam, too, such a sweet, vivacious girl. Kathleen could only imagine how this attack was affecting her parents.

The Greers stayed for a while longer, until it became apparent that Daniel was getting tired.

"We'll call tomorrow and see how you're doing," Quentin said. "You get plenty of rest, okay?"

As they reached the car, Kathleen studied her husband's face.

"So, how are you doing?" she asked.

"All right now. This scared the crap out of me, Kat. When Mark came running in with blood on his hands and shirt and said that Bud had hurt Daniel, possibly seriously, I was scared out of my mind. I can't even think about the images that went through my brain before we got to Daniel and Sam."

The Greers had been home for around an hour when the phone rang. Kathleen answered it and spoke to the caller for several minutes. She then went to the library, where Quentin was sitting in a chair, staring at one of the walls of books but not really seeing it.

"That was Diane," she told him. "The police called her. They caught Bud Whitman. I guess he was afraid to go home. He was hiding out at a friend's house. The other two boys have been taken into custody as well. They're both blaming the whole thing on Bud, saying it was all his idea and that he pushed them into it. The police need a statement from Daniel on what happened. Oh, and Bud's nose was broken."

Quentin knew that he really shouldn't smile, but a spiteful little voice inside him was saying that it served the kid right.

"I guess Mark got in some pretty good shots," he said.

He contacted the Carters, wondering if the police had gotten in touch with them as well.

"Actually, an officer left here just a few minutes ago," Jacob told him. "He told us about Bud being caught. He also got a full statement from Sam. I have to tell you, Quentin. Hearing my baby girl recount what that kid did to her and Daniel made me so furious I couldn't speak."

Quentin could definitely understand Jacob's emotions. "How is Sam doing?" he asked.

"Sleeping. The pain pills knocked her out. But she's a little trooper. I don't think this is going to slow her down at all. And Daniel?"

"Very likely also sleeping. Unlike Sam, though, I'm betting he'll be moving at half-speed for a while. I can only imagine how sore he's going to be. Diane told us that the bruising was already beginning to show at the hospital. I know what it's like to get punched in the stomach. It hurts like hell. But Daniel will be fine. He's already overcome much worse."

* * *

That evening, Sam gave her best friend a call.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. I got lots of bruises, and it hurts to bend over, but it's not so bad. Is your arm okay? Mister Greer told me it was broken."

"Yeah, but it's all right. Dad told me that the cast will drive me crazy when I have an itch underneath it. He's going to get me a little scratching thing that I can stick down inside it. We're going to come over your house tomorrow to visit."

"You'll have to come after I go to the doctor."

"Why are you going to the doctor again?"

"They need to make sure that I'm really okay."

Sam started to get worried. "You mean you might not really be okay?"

"No, I'm sure I'm okay. They just said that I needed to see a doctor in the morning to be on the safe side."

"Oh. I'll go ask my dad when we're coming over tomorrow."

Sam put the phone down and went to talk to her father.

"Did you ask Daniel if he'd be up to us coming to visit?" he asked once she'd explained things to him.

"No."

"Well, how about if I talk to him?"

Jacob went to the phone. "Hey, Danny. How are you doing, kiddo?"

"All right."

"Are you really sure you're going to be up to us visiting tomorrow?"

"I think I will," the boy replied. "It probably won't hurt as much tomorrow."

"Well, how about if you call us after you get back from the doctor and let us know how you feel? If you don't feel up to the visit, we'll wait until Sunday."

"But I don't want Sam to be disappointed."

"Daniel, Sam wants you to be well. That's a lot more important to her than us going there to see you." A vigorous nod from Sam confirmed what Jacob had said. "Oh, and Mark said to tell you that he got your book bag. He saw it lying on the ground and took it inside. He put it in his locker for safe keeping. You can get it from him on Monday. He rescued Sam's bag as well."

Relieved that his books hadn't been left outside, Daniel told Jacob to thank Mark.

That night at Sam's bedtime, Jacob and Laura tucked their daughter in, something they hadn't done since she turned eight and told them that she was too big to be tucked in. They remained in the room for the few minutes it took their daughter to fall asleep.

Half an hour later, Mark was in bed as well. Laura went to the master bedroom just a few minutes later, Jacob following her. Though it was still early, she began getting dressed for bed. She'd just slipped on her nightgown when, quite suddenly, she began sobbing. Jacob immediately pulled her into his arms.

"I was so scared," Laura said against his chest. "When Sam wasn't on the bus, I was terrified that something had happened to her. I was getting ready to call the school when Mark called and told me what happened. He said he thought that Sam was okay, but I kept imagining the most awful things, and I was so terribly worried about Daniel, too."

Jacob rubbed her back soothingly. "I know, Laura. I was the same way. I'm lucky I didn't get pulled over for driving like a maniac. All during the time I was in Nam, I don't think there was _anything_ that scared me as much as this did. It's one thing when it's yourself, but when it's your child. . . ." He shook his head. "But she's all right. That's what we need to focus on."

Laura nodded, pulling away and wiping her face. She finished getting ready for bed in silence, knowing that sleep would not come easily tonight.

Both she and Jacob chose to read for a while, hoping that it would relax them. But relaxation was not what they got. They hadn't been reading for long when a sound had them rushing to their daughter's room. Sam was sitting straight up in bed, chest heaving, a look of fear in her eyes, cheeks wet with tears.

Laura hurried to her and gathered her into an embrace.

"Shhh. It's okay, sweetheart. You're safe. You're right here at home and safe."

"I had a bad dream," Sam said in a trembling voice. "Bud was in my bedroom and was coming to get me." She started crying again. "He told me that he'd killed Daniel and was now going to kill me."

Jacob sat on the bed and laid his hand on Sam's hair. "Hey. That is not going to happen, Sam. Bud isn't going to come get you."

"How do you know?" Sam asked in a tiny voice.

"Because we'll protect you. I will _never_ let that boy hurt you again."

"But what about Daniel? Bud could go to his house and kill him. He said he'd kill Daniel if I told anyone what happened."

"Don't worry, Sam. Daniel will be fine."

"Can he come stay with us? Then he'd be safer."

"Honey, Social Services wouldn't allow that," Laura told her gently.

Sam was getting frantic. "But he did a sleepover here. Why can't he just sleep over for longer?"

Jacob and Laura shared a look, then the captain returned his gaze to his daughter.

"I'll tell you what, Sammie. I'll talk to Daniel's foster parents tomorrow and see if he can spend the weekend. Then he'll be right here safe with us."

"But what about tonight?"

"The police have Bud in custody, Sam. I'm sure he's locked up in Juvenile Hall. You and Daniel are both safe tonight. Okay?"

Sam nodded, brushing her tears away.

Jacob caressed her cheek, wiping off some lingering wetness. "Are you going to be all right now?"

Sam hesitated before nodding her head. The look on her face didn't convince her parents that she was telling the truth.

"Would you like to come sleep with us?" Laura asked gently. "It's all right if you do. There's nothing wrong with that. What you went through was pretty scary, and, if I was you, I wouldn't want to sleep alone."

Sam hesitated again, then gave a very small nod of her head, not looking at them.

They took her into their bedroom and settled her between them. Within moments, Sam was back asleep. The eyes of her parents met over her head. Jacob saw concern in his wife's eyes.

"Don't worry, Laura," he said. "It's only natural that she'd have a nightmare after what happened. She'll be fine."

He reached over Sam to his wife and pulled the three of them closer together. Minutes later, he was asleep.

* * *

Daniel and Diane had been back from the clinic for around ten minutes when two police officers arrived. They'd called the previous day to find out when the best time would be to come speak with the boy and get his statement.

The officers had been there for only a couple of minutes when Quentin and Kathleen unexpectedly dropped by.

"We were on our way to do some shopping in town and decided to stop by to see how Daniel was doing," the teacher explained. He glanced at the cops. "But I see that you're busy, so we'll call later."

"Can't you stay?" Daniel asked, also glancing at the officers. "Please?" It wasn't hard to tell that the boy was nervous.

Quentin turned to the police. "Is it all right if we stay? I'm Daniel's tutor, and I was there yesterday right after it happened."

"No, that would be fine," replied the older of the two cops, who introduced himself as Officer Morton and his partner as Officer Kerlinger.

Not wanting the younger kids to hear Daniel's statement, Diane sent them to their rooms. She and the others then sat down in the living room.

Daniel began his recount of the events by describing how Bud prevented him from leaving by the main exit and how he was grabbed coming out of the door exiting onto the lunch area and playground.

"Which boy was it that was holding you?" Kerlinger asked.

"I don't know his name," Daniel replied.

"What did he look like?"

The boy's description identified the child as Carl Prescott. With a gentle prompt from Officer Morton, Daniel talked about how the three boys just about dragged him across the playground and forced him through the hole in the fence. Listening to him recount the terrifying experience, Quentin was holding onto his temper by a thread. He could tell that Kathleen and Diane were equally as upset. What was a little surprising, though, was the glint of anger sparkling in the eyes of Paul Underwood.

Daniel's voice stopped. He was now staring down at his clasped hands. Quentin leaned forward and placed a hand upon the boy's arm.

"It's okay, Daniel. I know this must be tough to talk about. Just take your time." He laid his hand over Daniel's. One of the child's hands grabbed onto his with all the strength it possessed.

Haltingly, the boy continued, describing how Bud beat him while Carl held him, the last two blows knocking the wind out of him. And then, suddenly, Sam was there, screaming that her father was going to kill Bud with his gun. It wasn't long after her arrival that Wayne Banks ran off.

Up until this point, Daniel had not cried, but when he began describing how Bud hurt Sam, there were tears falling down his face.

"I tried to help her, but Carl held me down on the ground," he sobbed. Diane was now holding him against her, and Quentin's grasp on the boy's hand had tightened.

The story finished with Mark's arrival, Bud's beating, and Mark threatening that if Bud ever touched Sam or Daniel again, he'd kill the boy.

"You did very well, Daniel," Morton told him. He asked for clarification on a few details, which Daniel answered while wiping his face dry of tears.

"Well, I think that's all we need for now," Kerlinger said. "If there are any more questions, we'll call."

Telling Daniel that he'd be right back, Quentin followed the officers outside, as did Paul Underwood.

"So, what's going to be done about this?" Paul asked angrily. "You are going to punish them, aren't you?"

"Bud Whitman is presently being detained in Juvenile Hall, sir," Morton replied. "Carl Prescott is also there. The third child was released into the care of his parents. A judge is scheduled to hear the case next week. I can't really say what his ruling is going to be. In the case of minor offenders, it's hard to tell, though the premeditation of the attack is going to weigh heavily against the boys."

"Well, I talked to the school principal yesterday, and all three boys are being expelled," Quentin said.

"We'll keep everyone informed," Kerlinger said.

The cops left, Paul watching them go with a severe frown on his face.

"You know, I don't pretend to be a good father, but this really makes me mad," he said. "I had a few run-ins with bullies in boarding school, so I know what it's like, although I never got beaten up. What happened to Daniel and the Carters' daughter is just plain wrong."

"Yes, it is," Quentin wholeheartedly agreed. He'd nearly felt sick by the time Daniel had finished with his narration of what happened, not to mention being so furious that he'd wanted to hit something – very, very hard.

The two men went back into the house. Kathleen was now sitting on the other side of Daniel, talking to him softly, her fingers sliding through his hair.

As soon as Daniel saw Quentin, he stood and ran over, throwing his arms around the man. The teacher enfolded him in a gentle embrace.

"It's okay, Daniel," he murmured. "Everything is going to be okay." He put on a smile. "So, did you get a clean bill of health from the doctor this morning?"

Diane replied. "He said that Daniel would be all right, though he's going to be sore for a while. I'm supposed to schedule a follow-up exam with Daniel's regular doctor for late next week. I've talked to Mrs. Merrick. She was upset about what happened, of course. She's going to stay abreast of the case."

When Quentin and his wife walked out to their car a few minutes later, Kathleen glanced at her husband several time.

"We'll run back home and get your gym bag, then I'll drop you off at the gym," she said.

Quentin looked at her. "How did you know?"

"I saw the look in your eyes, Quentin. To be honest, I feel like hitting something, too. Actually, I feel like having a good cry. I almost started balling right there in the chair. One thing's for sure. I am _never_ going to tell Jack about this. You remember what happened last year when he found out that our cousin, Amanda, was beaten by her boyfriend?"

"How could I forget? You wouldn't think it would be possible for a twenty-year-old to make a man ten years older and twenty pounds heavier fear for his life. I sometimes wonder what they teach those cadets at the Academy."

"Well, from what Jack's father told me, Jack is getting high marks in hand-to-hand combat training." She smiled. "He joked that Jack could probably even take _you_ down."

Quentin chuckled. "I don't intend to ever find out."

* * *

Diane placed a call to the Carters to let them know that Daniel could have visitors at any time. Half an hour later, all four members of the Carter family arrived. Within seconds, Daniel and Sam were hugging, nearly clinging to each other. Everyone went to the living room, the best friends sitting close, not wanting to let each other go.

"Does your arm hurt?" Daniel asked, looking down at the cast.

"Not really. I hate the cast. It's heavy and gets in the way, and I have to be careful not to get it wet." Sam's face brightened. "Would you like to write something on it? Mark wanted to write on it yesterday, but I wanted you to be the first one."

"Okay."

Daniel got his color markers, picked a spot on the cast, and started drawing. Sam watched as a row of hieroglyphs began to take form.

"What does it say?" she asked once Daniel was finished.

The boy pointed to one group of characters. "That's your name." He pointed at another set. "That's my name." He laid a finger on the longest line. "This says 'Best friends forever.'"

Sam gazed down at the hieroglyphics, running her fingers over them. Then she hugged Daniel.

"Best friends forever," she whispered.

Laura and Jacob watched the two children with smiles on their faces. For Laura, though, the happiness was bittersweet, her mind on the thoughts she'd had just a few days ago after Diane's comment about Daniel getting adopted. For a few brief hours, Laura had thought about what it would be like if _they_ adopted Daniel, made him theirs – that is until reality came crashing in. The pay a captain in the Air Force received wasn't very much. Not having to pay rent or a mortgage helped a lot, but they had two kids who would be heading off to college before they knew it, and tuition was not cheap, especially for the kind of university they wanted Sam to attend. Even if they could play with their budget enough to afford to feed and clothe a third child while still setting plenty of college money aside, Daniel, too, deserved to be sent to a really good university. There was just no way they could afford that.

"We were wondering if Daniel would like to come spend the weekend at our place," Jacob said, pulling Laura out of her thoughts. "Do you think you'd feel up to that, Daniel?"

The boy nodded. "I feel a lot better today."

"Hey! I've got a great idea!" Sam exclaimed. She looked at Daniel. "We can get all your stuff for the science project and bring it over to our house. Then you can work on it there!"

"Honey, we wouldn't have anyplace to put it," Laura said.

"Besides, it's not something that should be moved around a lot," Jacob added. "We wouldn't want it to get damaged."

"It's okay," said Daniel. "I can help Sam with her part. She's going to need help because of her broken arm."

A bag was packed for Daniel, then he and the Carters headed off to the base. Not long after they arrived at the house, Daniel and Sam were immersed in the project. The fact that Daniel's help was needed by his friend made him pay much closer attention to everything. After a while, he was surprised to realize that he was actually having fun and developing an interest in the science that was being used. It could never come close to the love he had for languages, history and archeology, but maybe science wasn't so bad after all.

That evening, a bed was made up for Daniel in Jacob's office, like the last time the boy spent the night.

It took several tries to get Sam to say good night to her friend and go off to bed. After she was gone, Jacob approached the boy.

"Daniel, there's something I need to ask you. Sam had a nightmare last night about what happened. Did you have any nightmares?"

The boy's head ducked, then nodded, but he didn't speak.

"Do you feel up to telling me about it?"

"I . . . I dreamed that Bud hurt Sam really, really badly, and. . . ."

"And what?" Jacob asked gently.

"And she died," Daniel whispered.

Jacob sighed and pulled the boy close, not surprised by the form Daniel's nightmare had taken.

"Well, if you have another nightmare tonight, don't hesitate to come to us," he said. "All right?"

Daniel nodded.

Both Jacob and Laura were worried that Sam would have another bad dream, but the night remained undisturbed. However, when Laura peeked into her daughter's room the next morning, she was surprised to see that the bed was empty. Sam couldn't possibly already be up.

Following a hunch, Laura went to Jacob's office, and there was Sam, lying asleep on the mattress next to her best friend, the two tousled blond heads just a few inches apart, facing each other. Smiling, Laura got her husband.

"What a picture," he said with a smile. "I need to get my camera."

He got the camera, loaded it with film, and took several shots of the sleeping children.

"Do you think we should put her back in her bed?" Laura asked.

"No, just let her stay there. It's possible that she did have another nightmare last night and did this to assure herself that Daniel was all right."

When Daniel woke up half an hour later, he was pretty surprised to see Sam lying beside him. Wondering why she was there, he got up and went to the dining room, where Jacob was reading the paper and Laura was sipping on a cup of coffee.

"Sam's in my bed," he told them.

"Yes, we know," the captain told him.

"How come?"

"We think she might have had another nightmare last night and went in there to make sure you were safe."

"Did she dream that Bud hurt me more?"

Jacob shared a brief glance with his wife. "Um . . . yes, she did," he replied, not wanting to tell the boy that, in Sam's dream, it was Daniel who had been killed by Bud. Daniel also didn't need to know that Sam feared that Bud would come after both of them. "So, how did _you_ sleep?"

"Okay."

"No nightmares?"

Daniel shook his head. He looked at the cup of coffee in Laura's hands. "Can I have some?"

"Coffee? Daniel, you're way too young for coffee," she told him.

"Mom and Dad let me have a sip once. It was Egyptian coffee, which is a lot stronger."

Jacob stared at the child. "And you liked it?"

"Uh huh. They put lots of sugar in it."

"Well, you're still too young," Laura insisted. "You can have some juice or milk. We can put a dab of honey in the milk, if you'd like."

Daniel said yes to the milk and honey. He was almost finished with it when they were all startled by Sam running into the living room, a look of alarm on her face. When she saw Daniel, she came to a quick stop, then covered the rest of the distance to the dining room at a much more sedate pace.

Sharing a long look with his wife, Jacob said to his daughter, "You're up early for a Sunday."

Sam shrugged. "I don't want you squirting me with water again." She looked at her friend. "Have you been up for a long time?"

Daniel shook his head. "Not very long."

"Go on and get dressed, you two," Jacob said. Then he smiled. "If Mark sleeps in late, we can squirt _him_ with water."

Sam grinned. "Can I do it?"

"We'll see."

Sam had been in her room for just a couple of minutes when there was a knock on the door, and her mother came in.

"Sam, why did you come running into the living room like that?" Laura asked.

Sam gave another shrug, not looking at her mother. "No reason."

Laura gave her a hard look. "Sam, you know how your father and I feel about lying. When you came running in, you looked frightened. What were you afraid of?"

"It's stupid," Sam said, staring at the floor.

Laura sat on the bed. "I promise I won't think it's stupid."

Sam began toying with a button on her nightgown. "When I woke up and Daniel wasn't there, I was afraid that Bud might have come and taken him."

"Oh, sweetheart." Laura held her arms out. "Come here." Sam went into her embrace. "Did you have another nightmare last night?"

Sam nodded.

"The same one as before?" She got another nod. "That isn't going to happen, honey. Bud isn't going to kill Daniel and come after you. You are both perfectly safe."

Sam looked at her. "Do you promise?"

"Yes, I promise." Laura gave her a little squeeze. "How about if we fix one of your favorites for breakfast this morning?"

Sam's face brightened. "French toast with powdered sugar and blueberries?"

"We don't have any blueberries, but I can manage the powdered sugar and perhaps some blueberry jam. How's that?"

"Okay."

Jacob noticed his wife's slight frown when she came back out. She told him what their daughter had said.

"Do you think we should take her to someone?" she asked.

"You mean a psychologist? I think that might be a little premature. I'm sure these nightmares and her fear about Bud will go away soon. Sam's never had a traumatic experience like this before, and she's just having a little trouble getting past it."

"I'm just worried about her. I hate to see her afraid like that."

"I know. I hate it, too. But she'll be fine." Jacob smiled. "After all, she is a Carter." 


	29. Chapter 29

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Much to Sam's disappointment, Mark awoke before she got the opportunity to squirt him with the water pistol. After breakfast, she and Daniel resumed working on the science project. After lunch, however, Jacob insisted that they take a break from it for some family fun. It being too cold and wet outside, they played some indoor games instead.

It was going on eight p.m. when Jacob said it was time for Daniel to go home.

"No, I don't want him to go," Sam instantly responded. "Why can't he stay longer?"

"You both have school tomorrow, Sam."

"He can sleep here and take the bus with me." She turned pleading eyes upon her father. "Please?"

Jacob hesitated. He knew why Sam didn't want Daniel to leave. Would it be better to mollify her fear and let the boy stay for another night or would it be better to make her face her fear and overcome it by showing her that Daniel would be safe at his home? If she was older, he knew what his answer would be. He'd say no. But would it really hurt that much to let Daniel stay one more night?

"Would you like to stay another night, Daniel?" he asked the boy. "Do you have clothes for tomorrow?"

Daniel nodded. "I packed two changes just in case."

Sam jumped in. "You see? It's perfect. Daniel's books are already at school, so we wouldn't even have to get them."

Jacob mulled it over for a few more seconds. "All right, but only for one more night and only if Daniel's foster parents say it's okay." His reward for the reply was a hug from his daughter.

Diane didn't object to Daniel staying another night. This time, when he awoke the next morning, he found that he was still alone in the bed, Sam having remained in her own bed that night.

The best friends sat side-by-side on the bus. It was no surprise that the other kids asked what happened to Sam's arm. She told them, acting like it was no big deal. When the kids found out that Daniel had been beaten up by Bud, some of them wanted to see his bruises, but he adamantly refused to show them. He was happy when the bus ride finally ended.

The situation, however, did not improve once they were at school. It didn't take long for the whole story to get around. For Daniel and Sam, it was not pleasant. Neither of them wanted to talk about what happened.

Mark, on the other hand, was eating it up. He'd instantly been elevated to the status of a hero and got a whole lot of slaps on the back from the guys and smiles from the girls, some of whom had never even looked his way before.

It was at lunch when Kenny approached Daniel.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you really bad?" he asked in a soft, sad little voice, a look of sorrow and empathy in his eyes.

"No, not so bad," Daniel told him. "He probably would have hurt me more if Mark hadn't come."

"I'm glad Mark stopped him and that he's never going to come back."

"Me too."

Kenny's voice became even smaller. "Were you . . . were you really scared?"

Daniel nodded. "I was afraid he was going to kill me."

"Are you still afraid of him?"

"Yeah, but I'm also really mad because he hurt Sam. If he tried to hurt Sam again, I'd hit him and kick him as hard as I could."

"But he's a lot bigger than you."

"I don't care. She's my friend, and friends are supposed to protect each other."

* * *

After school, Daniel went to Quentin's classroom as usual.

"Are you sure you feel up to a lesson today?" the teacher asked him.

The boy nodded. "I feel a whole lot better now. The bruises don't really hurt all that much anymore."

Quentin wasn't too sure of the honesty of that second statement, but let it slide.

After Daniel's tutoring was done for the day, he worked on his part of the science project. He hoped that, this coming weekend, he'd be able to do what he'd planned on doing the previous weekend.

Quentin sat down in a chair and watched the boy work on the project. It was an interesting study in the way Daniel's mind worked. Unlike most kids, who'd want to get things done as quickly as possible, he never rushed and always made sure that things were done well and done properly. The teacher recognized the influence of Daniel's past in the way he was. Archeology required patience, an attention to detail, and, above all, the need to show great care with the things you handled.

"It's really going to be something else when you finish," the teacher remarked. He smiled. "I'm glad we took those measurements beforehand to make sure it would fit through the door." The smile faded as he studied Daniel's face. "Are you doing okay, Daniel? You and I haven't talked about what happened."

The child stopped what he was doing. "I'm okay." He fiddled with the bottle of glue in his hands. "I don't like to think about it."

"I can understand that. Are you having nightmares?"

"Just the first night."

"That's good." Quentin brushed the boy's hair from his face. "If you ever feel scared or just want to talk about what happened, I'm always here for you, Daniel. You can call me anytime."

Daniel was silent for a long moment, then, "Why are some people so mean?"

Quentin sighed, wondering how he could answer such a difficult question. "There are so many reasons, Daniel. We all have different personalities. With some people, their personalities aren't so nice. Maybe they have a really bad temper, or they enjoy scaring people, or they're just plain mean. Sometimes, part of the reason has to do with the way they were raised or things that happened to them when they were a child. Other times it's because there's something wrong inside their brain, which causes them to do bad things or not to care when they do something bad. There is no one explanation, and, sometimes, there are several things all put together that makes someone mean." He leaned forward and looked at the child in the eyes. "But the thing you always have to remember, Daniel, is that there are a lot more good people in the world than bad people, and even some people who seem to be bad aren't _all_ bad."

Daniel nodded. "That's what my mom and dad told me."

Quentin got to his feet. "Come on. I do believe that there is some chocolate ice cream in the fridge, and we just might have some bananas and chocolate syrup left."

* * *

"But why can't he come over?" Sam asked her father plaintively.

"Sam, I told you yesterday that Daniel could stay just one more night. He can't come stay with us every night."

"But—"

"No, Sam. And that's final." Jacob's voice then softened. "I know you're worried about him, but Daniel is perfectly safe at home. Bud isn't going to hurt him."

Sam turned and fled to her room. Jacob sighed, rubbing his face. The pleas for Daniel to spend another night with them had begun shortly after dinner, Sam coming up with all kinds of reasons for why it would be a good thing. She never mentioned her fear over Bud, but that was obviously the real reason why she wanted her friend close.

"Jacob, I know you believe this will pass, but I really think we should at least talk to someone," Laura said in a firm voice. "Perhaps we could talk to the doctor who treated Daniel. He might be able to give us some advice. Sam had the nightmare again last night."

The captain looked at her. "She did?"

Laura nodded. "She didn't want to admit it, but she couldn't hide it from me. She's terrified, Jacob. She's afraid that Bud is going to come after her and Daniel one day and kill Daniel. Nothing you or I say seems to be helping."

Jacob finally nodded. "All right, Laura. Get the doctor's number from Diane tomorrow and make an appointment with him for a consultation. Just with us. I'm not taking Sam there."

Laura relaxed. "Thank you." She paused. "I really didn't want to have to go behind your back."

The captain looked at her. "But you would have if I hadn't relented."

"She's my baby, Jacob, and it's tearing me up inside seeing her like this."

Jacob put his arm around her. "I know. It's hurting me, too."

* * *

Daniel was putting his stuff away in his locker when an especially timid and nervous Kenny came up to him. The boy pulled him over to a spot where there were no other kids around.

"What's wrong?" Daniel asked him.

"I brought my violin with me today." Kenny glanced at him shyly, then his eyes went back to the floor. "Would . . . would you like me to play it for you?"

Surprised, Daniel stared at the smaller child. He'd told Kenny before that he'd like to hear the boy play, but Kenny had said he'd be too embarrassed to do so. What had changed?

"Sure, I'd really like to hear you play. How come you're going to now."

Kenny shrugged infinitesimally. "I . . .I just thought that maybe it would make you feel better about . . . about things."

"Oh," Daniel said. Kenny wanted to play the violin for him because he got beaten up. Knowing it was a really nice thing for the boy to do, Daniel thanked him. "Where are we going to go?" he asked.

"There usually isn't anybody in the gym during lunch."

Daniel nodded. "Okay. I'll meet you there after the lunch bell rings."

Saying nothing more than that he was going to be meeting with Kenny, Daniel told Sam that he wouldn't be eating with her in the cafeteria. He figured that she probably thought that the two boys would be getting together for Kenny's reading and writing lesson.

When lunchtime came, Daniel was delayed by some kids who wanted to talk to him about Bud. After finally getting away from them, he ran down the halls toward the gym. Unfortunately, a tree truck got in the way. Actually, the 'tree' was his tutor, but it sure did feel like a tree when he plowed into the man.

Quentin managed to grab the boy in time to keep him from falling. "Whoa! Where are you in such a hurry to get to?"

"I-I-I'm just meeting Kenny, and I'm late."

"Ah. Well, slow down. I'm sure he'll still be there when you get there."

Daniel nodded and hurried away, keeping his pace to a trot. Quentin watched him go, then frowned. That was the wrong direction for the supply closet, the place the two boys usually held their secret meetings. Had they changed the location?

Deciding that it would be best to know the new location, the teacher followed. After a few moments, he lost sight of Daniel but kept going. He frowned even more deeply when he realized that there was only one place the child could be going: the school gymnasium.

Quentin approached the door, intending to just peek inside and see what was going on. His hand was on the door handle when he heard something that stopped him dead. It was a solo violin. More curious than ever, he opened the door as quietly as possible and looked inside. Daniel was seated on one of the benches. Before him stood Kenny Robinson, and it was he who was playing the instrument.

Awed, Quentin stood at the door and listened as a boy who could barely read played the violin with the skill of a child twice his age who'd had dozens of lessons. It almost brought tears to the teacher's eyes, his heart swelling with each note played. Kenny hadn't had any lessons. Quentin was positive of that. Yet his performance was almost flawless, every note in tune.

As the instrument fell silent, Quentin couldn't stop himself from applauding. Startled, Kenny and Daniel looked over at the door. The smaller boy blushed and ducked his head upon seeing his teacher.

Quentin came forward with a smile. "Kenny, that was absolutely beautiful."

"Nobody was supposed to hear except Daniel," the boy mumbled, eyes glued to the floor.

"Well, I'm glad that I did hear." Quentin knelt before him. He took the dark-haired child by the shoulders and looked into his eyes. "I mean it, Kenny. It was amazing. How did you learn to play like that?"

"My mom taught me some before she died. She had lots of records. I listen to them and try to copy the songs."

Quentin smiled, amazed by the child's skill. "Do you know what you are, Kenny?"

The boy shook his head.

"You are a prodigy."

"What's that?"

"It's somebody who has an outstanding ability with something, someone who is very gifted."

A little spark lit in Kenny's eyes. "I'm . . . I'm gifted? Even though I can't read very well?"

"Yes, Kenny, you are. The fact that you can play a violin like that when you've never received even one formal lesson is nothing short of extraordinary." Quentin smiled again. "Your mother would be very, very proud of you. _I'm_ proud of you."

An actual smile beamed across the young boy's face. His hunched posture straightened.

"I'm a prodigy," he said, savoring the word. At that moment, it didn't bother him a bit that he couldn't spell it.

Quentin got to his feet. "We need to arrange for you to have music lessons. I bet our music teacher, Mister Olin, would be happy to give you some."

Kenny's face brightened some more. It didn't last long, however. "Would you have to tell my dad?"

"Yes, he would need to be asked for permission."

The child's shoulders slumped. "He'll say no. He thinks playing music is stupid. He only let me keep the violin because Mom gave it to me for my birthday."

Quentin frowned, thinking all kinds of unflattering things about the man he'd already come to dislike. Though it wasn't a nice thing to think, it was pretty clear that the wrong parent had died in Kenny's family.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to try," he said.

He accompanied the two kids to the cafeteria, Kenny stopping on the way to put the violin back in his locker. Then Quentin went in search of Rupert Olin to tell him all about the undiscovered musical prodigy they had in their midst.

* * *

The appointment with Doctor Pine was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at lunch. Both Jacob and Laura were feeling a little ill-at-ease when they walked into the man's office.

"Take a seat," he said after shaking their hands. "First of all, I want to ask how the children are doing physically. I was very sorry to hear that young Daniel's had to suffer yet another trauma."

"Physically, they're all right," Jacob replied. "Sam has a hairline fracture in her left forearm, and Daniel's midsection is pretty bruised up. They'll both heal just fine."

"That's good. Give me the details on the attack and what led up to it, and tell me what you know about these nightmares of your daughter's and this fear of hers."

Jacob and Laura told him everything they knew about the attack, the reason for it, and what Sam had been going through since then.

"It is quite common for victims of assault to be fearful that the assailant will come after them again," the doctor said. "That is especially true in cases when the person is threatened with more violence if they go public. Now, you said that this Bud Whitman is presently in Juvenile Hall?"

"Yes," Jacob confirmed.

"So, there really is no way that he could come and harm Daniel or Samantha again, at least not as long as he's there."

"We've explained that to Sam, but it doesn't seem to help," Laura said.

Doctor Pine nodded. "This is the way in which adults and children differ. If Sam was an adult, she would be able to logically reason out that she and Daniel were in no danger from Bud because he is incarcerated. She might still fear him and worry that, someday, he'll be free and come after them, but it would be a fear of what might happen in the future. In a child, however, imagination is far more fully developed than the capacity for logical thinking. In Sam's mind, she imagines that Bud can somehow get to her and Daniel regardless of the fact that he's locked up. Because of this, trying to use logic to calm her fears might have little impact. Bud has become the bogeyman under the bed, the invisible monster that could pop out at any second and grab her. We adults know that the bogeyman doesn't exist, but, to a child, he is very real."

"So, what can we do?" Laura asked.

"Well, in time, this fear of Sam's should fade. As the days go by and the threat of Bud does not come to pass, Sam's fear will eventually disappear, though I think it's important that you not tell her when Bud is released from Juvenile Hall so that the fear doesn't resurface. I'm assuming that he was expelled from the school."

"Yes," Jacob replied. "So were the two boys who helped him."

"Then it's unlikely that she'll ever see him again, unless it's by accident. I do not think that Bud will actually go after Daniel and Sam. From what you've told me, Bud is a classic case of a school bully who is overcompensating for underlying feelings of cowardice and inadequacy, trying to make himself feel powerful and in control by victimizing children who are younger and weaker than him. The fact that he was caught and is being harshly punished for his actions will very likely make him too afraid to do it again since he'd know that, if he attacked the children again, his punishment would be even more severe."

"And then there's the fact that my son threatened to kill him if he ever touched Daniel or Sam again," Jacob said.

Doctor Pine nodded. "Though Bud would still harbor a great deal of anger and resentment toward Daniel and your daughter, he won't risk an even graver punishment by attacking them again."

"So, you're saying we should just wait and let this run its course?" Laura asked with a frown.

"That is one option. You could schedule some appointments for her with me, but this really is a fear that Sam needs to conquer for herself. There is one other option, but I'm not sure if it would be possible."

"What's that?" Jacob questioned.

"For Sam to meet with Bud, get an apology from him, and hear him tell her face to face that he isn't going to hurt her again. Once you face the monster head-on and see that it's not really a monster after all, it loses its capacity to frighten you."

Jacob gave a humorless laugh. "That's pretty unlikely, Doctor. I can't imagine that boy ever apologizing for anything."

"Perhaps not, unless the fear of even more punishment was held over his head."

"You mean coercion, say you're sorry or else."

The therapist shrugged. "It may not be exactly ethical, but parents frequently use coercion to make their kids do things they don't want to do."

Jacob frowned. Could they actually do it?

"If you decide to let this run its course, and Sam hasn't improved in the next week or so, please do call me, and we'll schedule an appointment for her," Doctor Pine said.

The Carters left the man's office, deep in thought. Jacob returned to work, but had a hard time keeping his attention on duty. It was that evening after the kids were in bed when he finally decided to make a call.

"Hey, Quentin. It's Jacob."

"Jacob. What's up?"

"Would it be possible for you to get me the phone number of Bud Whitman's parents?"

There was a short pause before the teacher replied. "Yes, I could get it. Why do you ask? I wouldn't advise you going over there and confronting him."

"A confrontation isn't what I want." Jacob told the teacher about the meeting with the psychologist.

"So, you're hoping that Mister Whitman will agree to make his son apologize to Sam for what he did and swear never to do it again."

"Yes, but it would have to be to both Sam and Daniel."

"I suppose it's worth a try." Quentin smiled. "You want some backup?"

"From you?" Jacob chuckled. "How big is this guy?"

"Not that big, from what I recall. I've only seen him at a couple of PTA meetings. I wasn't offering the backup because I thought you'd be at risk of a thrashing. From what I know, Ed Whitman is a strict disciplinarian, but he's not a violent man. He actually did call the principal and apologize for the actions of his son."

"Yet he didn't call the families of his son's victims and apologize to them. Thanks for the offer, Quentin, but I think I should do this alone, parent to parent."

"All right. I'll get the number for you tomorrow. Can I call you at work?"

Jacob gave him the number.

The next day, Jacob headed straight from duty over to the Whitman residence, not stopping at home to change out of his uniform. The man who answered the door was not what he'd expected. Tall and lanky, Ed Whitman looked little like his stocky son.

"Mister Whitman? I'm Captain Jacob Carter, Samantha Carter's father."

The man stiffened. "Captain Carter? I suppose you've come for an apology. Well, you have it. I do not condone what my son did, and you can rest assured that I will not let it slide. I have already been speaking with the commandant of a military school in Virginia. He told me that it would be possible to enroll Bud there starting with the summer classes. In a military school, my son will learn the true meaning of discipline."

Jacob studied the man, the ramrod straight posture. "Were you in the military, Mister Whitman?"

"No. A bad knee from an injury kept me out of the service. But my father was a colonel in the Marines, and I did go to military school. I learned the importance of discipline there, and so will my son. He will not harm any more children. You have my word on that."

"I appreciate you assurance, Mister Whitman, but I'm actually here for another reason."

Whitman frowned severely. "If you're considering a lawsuit—"

Jacob held up his hand. "No lawsuit. We're not that kind of people. This is about my daughter and a way that your son might be able to make amends to her and Daniel Jackson."

Whitman invited him inside. When Jacob saw Mrs. Whitman, he found out where Bud's stocky build came from.

"All right. So, what's this about?" Bud's father asked once they were settled in the living room.

Jacob started by telling the man about Sam's nightmares and her fear that Bud would return for revenge. He then explained what Doctor Pine said about what might help Sam get past her fear.

Mister Whitman nodded sharply. "If your daughter needs an apology and a promise from Bud, then she'll get one."

Surprised, Jacob paused a couple of seconds, not having expected it to be this easy. "It would have to be done soon."

"Saturday morning at the Hall. Would that be soon enough? It can't be any sooner. We'll be appearing before the judge tomorrow afternoon."

"Um . . . yes, that will be fine."

The two men stood and exchanged a brisk handshake. As Jacob left a couple of minutes later, he wondered how he was going to break the news to Sam about what Saturday was going to bring.

* * *

Sam was clinging like a leech to her father's hand as they approached the doors to Juvenile Hall. Daniel walked beside her, Paul Underwood on his other side.

It hadn't been easy getting Sam here. It had been necessary to use a bit of trickery – and a little fudging of the truth. He'd told Sam that Bud wanted to apologize to her and Daniel for hurting them and that Sam needed to let him do so, even if she wasn't willing to forgive him. The captain just hoped that this didn't blow up in his face. Ed Whitman might promise that his son would give that apology, but what if the kid refused? It could cause even more harm.

Jacob glanced at Daniel. The boy had been very quiet. Outwardly, he looked nervous, but not fearful.

"You doing okay there, Daniel?" the captain asked.

"Yeah. I know he can't hurt me and Sam again. The guards won't let him. That's what Mister Greer and Mister Underwood both said."

Jacob looked enquiringly at the man beside the boy.

"He was worried about it, so I explained that there would likely be a guard in the room," Paul said. "I had him talk to his tutor about it since he seems to have a great deal of trust and faith in what the man says."

Sam looked at her best friend, seeing that he wasn't scared. She didn't want to be a scaredy-cat, so she loosened the grip on her father's hand and finally let go.

After checking in at the desk, they were all led to a private room with chairs, a couch and a lone table. Several minutes passed before the door opened again, and Bud Whitman came in, followed by his father and a guard.

The boy bore little resemblance to the child who had brutally hurt Daniel and Sam. His nose was swollen and discolored, covered by bandages. There was a healing cut on his lower lip and a bruise on his left cheek, another one on his jaw, all the handiwork of Mark. But more than this was the boy's demeanor. He appeared . . . cowed. Jacob had to wonder how rough it had been for Bud in this place. Very likely, there were kids here who were a whole lot tougher and meaner than the school bully, kids who'd probably been teaching Bud some lessons in fear and intimidation. Perhaps, in the end, Bud would come out of this whole thing a better person. One could only hope.

Jacob looked down at his daughter. She was staring at Bud, a trace of fear in her eyes, but she was standing firm and hadn't drawn closer to her father. Feeling very proud of her, the captain then looked at Daniel, and that's where he got his big surprise. The boy was staring at Bud defiantly, chin lifted, little hands curled into fists, looking like he was ready to fight tooth and nail if Bud dared to do anything.

"Go on and say it, Bud," Ed Whitman commanded firmly.

Bud stared at the floor and mumbled, "I'm sorry."

"Louder."

"I'm sorry," the child repeated more clearly.

"And?"

"And I promise I'll never do it again."

Mister Whitman looked at the two younger children. "I apologize for my son as well, and I swear that you have nothing more to fear from him. He will never harm you again."

The four visitors left the building a few minutes later.

"He looked really funny with his nose all swollen and purple," Sam remarked.

Daniel nodded. "I bet it really hurts a lot."

"More than my arm did."

"And more than my stomach."

"His face looked a whole lot worse than yours did when he hit you that first time." Sam grinned. "Mark really messed him up." She turned to her father. "Dad, can we go to the arcade today?"

Pleased by his daughter's transformation, Jacob replied, "I'd say yes, but wouldn't you have a tough time playing the games wearing that cast?"

"There's some I could still play, and Daniel could play."

"I've never been to an arcade before," the boy said. "Besides, I was going to work on the project today. I want to finish the frame so that I can put the clay on tomorrow."

"Couldn't you do that next weekend? We've still got almost a month and a half before the science fair. That's plenty of time."

Daniel thought about it for a while, then nodded. "Okay."

"Great!" Sam turned to her father. "Can we go, Dad? Please?"

Jacob smiled, knowing he couldn't say no. "All right. Let's go have some fun." 


	30. Chapter 30

CHAPTER THIRTY

It was not long before Daniel and the Carters were on the road to the arcade in Syracuse. Jacob had called the Greers and invited them along. They were traveling in a separate car. Surprisingly, in a third car were the Underwoods, Paul having convinced his wife that the younger kids would be fine at the arcade.

There was no doubt that everyone had fun. As the three women mostly looked on, their husbands went around and played games with the kids, only Susy not playing, all the noise and children running around being a bit too much for her. Instead, she played at the table with the toys her foster mother had brought.

At one point, Laura looked over at Diane and noticed tears in her eyes. She followed the woman's gaze and saw Paul helping Caleb play one of the games, patiently showing him what to do.

Laura rested a hand on Diane's arm. "Are you all right?"

The woman sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Yes. It's just . . . it's more than I ever dreamed, seeing Paul like that. For so long I've hoped and prayed that he'd someday take an interest in children. I'd . . . given up hope that it would ever happen."

"What changed things?" Kathleen asked.

Diane started getting nervous. "Oh, um . . . something happened on Christmas that really affected him. There was also the death of Caleb's mother. Paul lost his maternal grandparents when he was quite young. He was very close to them, so he understood how much Caleb was hurting. He and Caleb in particular seem to be bonding. It's wonderful to see."

Laura had to wonder if the incident Diane was talking about was Susy's fall into the stream. That would certainly be enough to put a scare into someone, especially the person who was supposed to have been watching the kids.

Just then, a squeal of laughter drew the attention of the women to another spot in the arcade. They saw Quentin carrying Daniel under one arm, Sam under the other, Jacob beside them with Adam perched on his shoulders. The sight made the women laugh.

"Your husband certainly does seem to adore children," Diane said to Kathleen with a smile.

"Oh, yes. We'd have ten of them at home, if it were possible." Kat's happy mood instantly vanished. She turned back to the table, taking a sip of her iced tea.

Suddenly, Laura understood something that she'd been wondering about. "You can't have children," she guessed softly.

Kathleen cleared her throat. "It's . . . it's not impossible. My doctor says there is a chance that I could get pregnant, but . . . we've been trying for almost six years now."

"I'm sorry," Laura said, understanding in a way that only a mother could. The thought of not being able to have kids, to never have the joy that her children brought into her life, was unbearable.

Diane was staring at Kathleen. She, too, understood the woman's pain, even more so than Laura, having been denied the joy of having babies of her own. She now had hope that, someday, Paul would change his mind about having kids, but, for Kathleen, it wasn't a matter of choice.

Jacob came up to them. "Whew! I am getting too old for this!" he exclaimed as he set Adam down. He plopped down beside his wife and looked over at Quentin, who was still playing with Daniel and Sam. "Where does he get all his energy?"

"Oh, he'll be pooping out soon, too, I'd guess," Kathleen responded.

Fifteen minutes later, a "pooped out" Quentin landed on the bench beside her. Daniel and Sam, dozens of tickets in their fists, sat on the other side of the table. Paul and Caleb joined the group a minute later.

"Well, I don't know about you guys but I'm starving," the teacher said.

"What time is it anyway?" Jacob wondered. He looked at his watch. "Holy cow. I didn't realize it was so late. No wonder my stomach feels like the Grand Canyon."

"Our stomachs and my wallet. I've spent a fortune on tokens."

The adults turned to the kids.

"So, how many tickets do you guys have?" Jacob asked.

The children each totaled up their "winnings".

"I'd have lots more if it wasn't for this stupid cast," Sam said, disappointed with her count.

"But you still had fun, right?" Laura asked.

"Uh huh. I want to stay the whole day."

"Sorry, kiddo, but we old fogeys have had enough for one day. Besides, it's past time to go get something to eat." He looked around and spotted Mark, who was still playing. "I'd better go fetch my son so we can cash in and get out of here."

To the starving adults, it seemed to take all eternity for the children to decide what toys they were going to get with their tickets. Surprisingly, Daniel was the one who made up his mind the quickest, settling on a grinning fish hanging from a little fishing pole.

"It's for Jack," he explained.

Kathleen smiled. "I'm sure he'll love it."

The boy had two tickets left over and gave them to Sam, who was the last to make up her mind on what to get.

After leaving the arcade, they went to the nearest hamburger place. It being past their nap time, the three younger kids were tired, Susy starting to get a little cranky. As soon as the meal was over, the Underwoods decided to get the children home and to bed.

"You can stay with the Carters, if you'd like, Daniel," Paul said.

"Okay. Thank you, Mister Underwood."

"We'll have him home before dinner," Jacob told the man and his wife.

"I guess Kat and I should get going, too," Quentin said regretfully a moment later. "There are things that need to get done." He looked at Daniel. "Will we be seeing you tomorrow?"

The boy nodded. "I'm going to finish the frame, then I can put the clay on next Saturday."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

"Actually, we should get back as well," Jacob said. "I've also got a few errands to run."

"Do we have to?" Sam asked, pouting.

"Haven't you had enough fun for one day?"

"No."

"Well, then you can have more fun . . . at home."

The fun at home consisted of putting more work in on the science project, which was really starting to take shape. Sam was sure that they'd have it done in plenty of time for the fair.

When Jacob took Daniel home at 5:30, Sam didn't object. She didn't express any fear over his safety that evening. When she went off to bed that night, her parents did not worry that there would be another nightmare. Sam had faced her bogeyman head-on and conquered her fear.

* * *

The following week passed uneventfully, for which everyone was grateful. The Italian language tapes had arrived, and Daniel was now immersed in completing his knowledge of the language. Paul found himself peeking into the boy's room more than once, listening to Daniel speaking in the foreign tongue.

"You know, I didn't really think about it before," he said to his wife on Friday. "I mean, I knew the boy was smart, but I didn't really care." He frowned. "What will social services do about his education? Daniel should go to college. They wouldn't pay for that, would they?"

Diane shook her head and sighed. "He'll be removed from foster care when he turns eighteen, if not sooner. After that, he'll be completely on his own. His only hope of getting into a university will be if he gets a scholarship or if he can somehow manage to work his way through college."

"Doesn't seem right."

"No, it isn't." Diane looked at her husband. "Paul, I . . . I can't tell you how much it means to me to see you showing such an interest in the kids, playing with them like you have been. I'm so proud of you."

Paul looked at her. "I guess I have a big apology to make to you. We've been foster parents for three years, and it hasn't been until now that I'm actually being a parent. I know how much I've hurt you, and I'm sorry."

Husband and wife shared a long hug. Diane was teary-eyed as they drew apart.

Paul stared at their entwined hands. "I've been giving this a lot of thought, and, well . . . I, um, don't know how good a dad I'll be, but . . ." he looked at his wife, "if you still want to have a baby with me, I think I'm ready."

Diane gasped. And then she started sobbing. Paul pulled her back into his arms and held her as she cried the tears of joy. After she'd quieted, he wiped her face and smiled at her.

"So, how about if we get started on the first part tonight?" he asked.

Actually blushing, Diane replied, "Okay."

Taking her hand, Paul pulled her to her feet and led her off to the bedroom, making a baby on both of their minds.

* * *

Daniel arrived at the Greers at ten o'clock Saturday morning. A few minutes later, he got busy with the clay. Quentin and Kathleen checked on him occasionally, but mostly left him to the task, except when they called him to lunch.

Once Daniel had finished applying the clay, he got busy on the details that would help give his construction the realism that he wanted it to have. Some would be done now, while the clay was still soft. The rest would be done after it had dried.

By the time the boy went home that evening, he was satisfied with what he'd accomplished. He was back the next day, ready to resume work.

Late that afternoon, Quentin studied Daniel's handiwork.

"Wow. It looks fantastic, Daniel. You're doing a marvelous job. How much is there left to do?"

"I still have lots more painting to do. After it's all done, we need to take it over to Sam's house so that we can put the stuff inside it."

The teacher stared at Daniel's construction, realizing something. "I don't think it'll fit through the car door. I should have realized that before."

"But how are we going to get it over there?"

"I'll have to borrow someone's truck or station wagon. One of the neighbors has a pickup with a shell." Quentin looked at his watch. "I need to get you home, Daniel."

On the trip to the Underwoods, the boy glanced at his tutor. "Kenny told me that his dad said he couldn't have music lessons."

Quentin sighed. "Yes, I'm afraid so. I tried my best to convince him that it would be a great thing for Kenny, that Kenny has an amazing talent that needs to be nurtured, but Mister Robinson doesn't want his son to be a musician."

"Why not?"

"For reasons with which I do not agree."

Daniel stared at his lap. "Kenny started crying when he told me."

Quentin sighed again, cursing silently.

"I wish I knew all about music so that I could teach him," Daniel said in a low voice.

Quentin stroked his hair, glancing at him fondly. "And I bet you'd be a very good music teacher."

On Tuesday, Daniel completed his part of the science project. Quentin made arrangements to borrow his neighbor's truck on Wednesday to take the thing over to the Carters'.

The next morning, however, something happened that put all thoughts of the science project right out of Daniel's head. Once everyone was settled at their desks, Mrs. Mason got up and stood before the class.

"As I'm sure most of you know, tomorrow is Valentine's Day," she said.

Several of the boys in the class snickered or made sounds of disgust.

"I know that some of you will have no interest in making a valentine card, so, although today's arts and crafts time will be focused on the holiday, it is not necessary for everyone to make something for it. You are free to do some other art or craft project. Or if you'd like to help decorate the classroom with hearts instead, that would be fine, too. It's entirely up to you."

Daniel was frowning. He didn't know very much about Valentine's Day. He'd been seeing advertisements for it, but he was puzzled about what the purpose of the holiday was. It seemed to have something to do with guys and girls hugging and kissing each other. He glanced at Sam shyly, remembering their kisses of a few weeks ago.

Daniel did recall a time when he heard his father wish his mother a happy Valentine's Day and then gave her a gift. The boy started to get worried. Were people supposed to give gifts to each other? He didn't buy any gifts, and there wouldn't be enough time to make some.

When the bell rang for lunch, Daniel told Sam that he'd meet her in the cafeteria, then he approached his teacher.

"Mrs. Mason, I don't know very much about Valentine's Day," he said. "I don't think it's a holiday they celebrate in Egypt."

"Ah. Well, I'm sure you'd find it interesting to know that the Valentine's Day we celebrate honors two different men name Valentine. One was a priest in Rome who died as a martyr around AD 269. The other was Valentine of Terni, a bishop who lived in the second and early third century and was reportedly killed during the persecution of Emperor Aurelian. Both men were sainted. The holiday is also called Saint Valentine's Day. In this country and in Europe, it's a day for people to express their love for each other by giving valentine cards, flowers, candy or some other gift."

"Do you give the cards and gifts to everybody that you love?" Daniel asked, thinking of all the people he'd come to love these past months.

"Um . . . no. You see, it's mostly for people who love each other romantically."

Daniel blushed. "Oh."

"However, if there's a special little girl that you just really like a lot, she can be your valentine, the person you give the card or gift. Lots of kids do that."

Daniel went to the cafeteria with Mrs. Mason's words in his mind. There was, of course, only one girl that he'd consider making his "valentine", and that was Sam. But Daniel didn't know if he had the courage to present Sam with a valentine card. It would be embarrassing. And what if she didn't want to be his valentine? Though she hadn't been paying much attention to Randy, lately, she might still prefer to be _his_ valentine.

By the time the class began working on their arts and crafts projects, Daniel still wasn't sure what he should do. He could always go ahead and make the card. He just wouldn't write anything inside it for now. If he decided not to give it to Sam, he could give it to the teacher to hang up as a decoration instead.

Decision made, the boy got to work on cutting the red and pink craft paper. He noticed that Sam was making a card, too, and really wished he knew to whom she planned on giving it.

Daniel still wasn't done with his card when craft time ended, so he decided to take it home and finish it there.

While Daniel was at his tutor's home, the man they were going to borrow the truck from called and said that he needed the pickup for something that had come up. He told Quentin that they could have it tomorrow. Daniel, whose thoughts were a lot more on the unfinished card in his bag than on the science project, wasn't disappointed with the delay.

"It's Valentine's Day tomorrow," he abruptly blurted out.

Quentin smiled. "Yes, I know." He leaned closer to the boy and lowered his voice. "Don't tell Kathleen, but I've made reservations at a fancy restaurant, and I bought her a very pretty necklace. I'm sure she'll like that a whole lot better than candy and flowers."

"We made stuff for Valentine's Day at school today. I've never done that before." Daniel began playing with his pencil. "I made a valentine card, but I don't know if I should give it to the person I want to give it to."

The teacher studied his student, guessing that the possible recipient of the card was Sam. "Well, do you really care about this girl?"

Daniel nodded.

"Would you like to give it to her?"

The boy nodded again after a brief pause.

"Then I think you should give it to her. I'm sure that she'll love it."

"But what if she doesn't?"

Quentin hesitated a moment before asking, "Is it Sam?"

Daniel's head ducked a little, then nodded.

"Then don't worry, Daniel. I'm sure that she'll be delighted."

The boy looked at him. "You really think so?"

Quentin smiled and nodded. "Yes, I really think so."

* * *

Daniel was terribly nervous at school the next day, agonizing over when and how he'd present the valentine card to Sam. He was so worried about it that he failed to notice all the times that Sam glanced at him. Hidden inside the girl's notebook was a valentine card with Daniel's name on it. More than once, she'd thought about tearing it up. She'd never given a valentine to a boy before, and she was worried that Daniel wouldn't like it. What if he thought it was silly? She knew that he'd made something yesterday for Valentine's Day, but it might have just been a decoration for the classroom. She'd want to just curl up and die if she gave her card to Daniel, and he didn't like it.

Throughout lunch, the best friends kept giving each other furtive glances, neither one of them talking very much.

Though it was cold, it wasn't raining or snowing, so they both decided to go outside after their meals were finished. Quite a few kids were out in the playground.

Daniel, who'd hidden his valentine card inside his coat, finally got up the courage to give it to Sam. He asked her to come with him to a spot where there was no one else around. Not looking in her eyes, he pulled the card out and shyly gave it to her, blushing furiously.

Sam looked at the red and pink heart-shaped card and slowly opened it. Inside, it said, "For my best friend Sam. Will you be my valentine?"

She looked at Daniel, who was still blushing, his gaze remaining downcast. "You want me to be your valentine?"

The boy began fidgeting with the zipper of his coat. "I-I-I didn't know what to say in the card. I've never done a valentine before. I asked Mrs. Underwood, and she said that I could ask you to be my valentine." His voice dropped. "If you don't want to be my valentine, it's okay."

Expecting her to say something, Daniel was surprised when, instead, she grabbed his hand and hurried into the school, pulling him along with her. She went to their classroom, which was empty. She got her notebook, reached between the pages, and pulled out a handcrafted card, which she handed to him. His name was written on the front. Daniel stared at it for a moment before opening it.

"Will you be my valentine?" said the words inside.

Daniel looked at Sam to see that she was blushing.

"Okay," he said, which made Sam smile. "Does this mean you want to be my valentine, too?"

Sam nodded.

The two kids fell silent for a long moment.

"Do you know what we're supposed to do now?" Daniel asked.

"Uh uh. Dad usually takes Mom out to dinner and buys her something."

"Mister Greer said that's what he was going to do."

Sam chewed on her lip. "I don't think we can go out to dinner."

Daniel's gaze dropped to the floor. "I didn't buy you anything." He glanced at Sam. "On TV, they've been showing boys and girls hugging and . . . and kissing each other in the Valentine's Day commercials."

"Yeah."

They both shifted nervously.

The question of whether or not they should kiss was never raised because, at that moment, Mrs. Mason came in. She was about to express her surprise that they were there when she saw the cards in their hands. Smiling, she just said hello to them, sat at her desk and began to work on some papers. Embarrassed, the kids shoved the cards in their desks and went back outside.

Nothing more was said about the exchange of valentines for the rest of the school day. Daniel was on his way to his tutor's classroom when he heard someone running up to him. He turned just in time to receive a quick kiss on the cheek from Sam. And then she was gone, running back the way she came.

Daniel stood, unmoving, for several seconds. Then, a smile growing on his face, he continued his journey.

* * *

The next evening, Daniel's "masterpiece", as his teacher called it, was loaded up into the borrowed pickup and taken over to the Carters'. Once it was settled on the table that had been set up for it in Jacob's office and the towels covering it were removed, the four members of the Carter family all studied it.

"Holy cow," Jacob murmured, giving an appreciative whistle.

"Wow. It almost looks real," Sam said.

Her father nodded. "It's beautiful. I'm really going to hate having to drill those holes in it. It'll be like I'm vandalizing a work of art."

Daniel blushed at the compliments.

Sam began bouncing up and down with excitement. "This is going to be the best science project ever!"

* * *

The weeks passed, Daniel going over to Sam's as often as possible to help with the science project. The closer the date of the fair got, the more anxious the children became.

On the night before the big day, Sam was just about bouncing off the walls, driving her parents nuts. It was next to impossible to get her into bed that night.

Everyone was up very early the next morning, knowing that they'd have to get an early start for the drive to where the science fair was being held.

The plan had been for Diane and Paul to join Daniel and the Carters on the trip, but, the night before, the person who was supposed to babysit the other kids had backed out, not leaving them enough time to find someone else. Paul surprised Diane by volunteering to stay home and watch the kids so that she could go, insisting that he'd be fine for the day.

"Besides, I need to start practicing," he'd said, which made her smile.

Jacob had borrowed a station wagon from a neighbor. With the science fair entry secured in the back, everyone else piled into the seats, and they got underway.

Upon arriving at their destination, Jacob went inside to find out where their booth was. As he walked through the crowd of kids and parents setting up the dozens of science projects, he couldn't help but check out the "competition". Some of the stuff he saw looked pretty impressive. He knew that Sam had high hopes that their entry would win a prize. He and Laura had discussed what they'd do to cheer their daughter and Daniel up if that didn't happen.

Once he'd located their booth, the captain returned to the car. The second trip was made with Sam continually telling him to be careful with the precious burden he carried. He breathed a sigh of relief when the thing was finally sitting safely on the table in the booth. Daniel and Sam got busy on the final little details that couldn't be done until then. They'd just finished when a familiar voice made Daniel turn around to see Quentin and Kathleen.

"You came!" he said in delight, running up to hug them.

"Well, of course we did," said the teacher. "There's no way that we were going to miss this." He bent down to study the thing sitting on the table. "This looks great. I can't wait to see it in action."

"We're going to wait until the judges come before we turn it on," Sam said. "We don't want to ruin the surprise."

"So, do you want to take a look at the other entries?" Jacob asked the kids. "There's still two hours to go before the judges start making their rounds."

Getting a "yes" from them, Jacob and Quentin took Daniel, Sam and Mark around as Kathleen and Diane stayed behind to babysit the booth.

The competition was open to fourth, fifth and sixth-graders, and the huge room had been divided into three sections, one for each of the grades. The entries for each grade would be judged separately by different judges.

As Sam and Daniel looked at the other fourth grade entries, it was natural that they'd compare what the other contestants had done with their own entry. Though Daniel thought they were all good, Sam thought that some of the stuff was pretty lame.

Next, they went to the fifth grade section, where Quentin's knowledge as a teacher came in handy in answering the questions the kids had about some of the entries.

Lastly came the entries at the sixth grade level. Sam was absolutely fascinated by some of the things and asked tons of questions. Daniel mostly just looked and soaked it all in.

Finally, it was time to return to their booth. Several minutes later, the announcement came that the judges were beginning their rounds. Daniel and Sam were instantly transformed into two very nervous children who kept looking around for the people who would judge all the hard work they'd done. It seemed to take forever before they finally spotted the man and woman wearing badges and carrying clipboards, then another eon for the two to at last reach their booth.

"Hello there," said the woman. She glanced at her clipboard and then at the eight-year-olds. "You must be Daniel Jackson and Samantha Carter."

"Yes, ma'am," replied Sam.

The man bent down and began examining the object on the table. The two-foot-tall pyramid sat upon a landscape of sand, tiny camels here and there. The pyramid looked as if it had been constructed from hundreds of little stone blocks, each one textured like real stone.

"This is quite impressive," the man said. "Wonderful attention to detail. How did you do the texturing?"

"I used sandpaper," Daniel replied. "When the clay was still soft, I pressed a sheet of the really coarse sandpaper into it. Then, after it dried, I rubbed it with more sandpaper."

The judge smiled. "Smart." He straightened. "It looks quite real. You did a marvelous job."

Daniel blushed. "Thank you. I wish I could have made it really look like Khufu's pyramid. _It_ has over two million blocks. I could only make this one look like it has four hundred. That's not very many. More would have taken a really long time, and I would have had to do it after the clay was dry, because there wouldn't have been enough time to get it all done before."

The man smiled. "Well, you still did a very good job, Daniel."

"So, are you ready to show us what it does?" the woman asked.

Almost bursting with excitement, Sam flipped the switch. A row of tiny white lights winked on at the base of the pyramid, shining through little holes drilled into the clay. Another row appeared above the first, then a third, a fourth and so on until the entire pyramid was sparkling with lights. They began to flash on and off in a set pattern around the circumference of the pyramid, putting on a dazzling light show. Several inches of the top of the pyramid began to open, the four sides splitting apart. From within the pyramid rose a miniature spaceship hanging from the end of a clear piece of fishing line attached to a motorized car antenna.

As the ship cleared the pyramid, the antenna began to spin rapidly, centrifugal force making the ship lift away from it as if the craft was actually flying. The top of the pyramid closed back up, and the line the ship was attached to lengthened a few inches, causing the little craft to go zipping right around the walls of the pyramid.

Quentin and Kathleen couldn't help but laugh in delight at the sight, marveling at the imagination and ingenuity of the two children. The teacher looked at the judges and saw that they were smiling as well.

After about a minute, the fishing line shortened back to its original length, and the antenna stopped spinning. The pyramid opened back up, and the ship slowly lowered into it. Once the pyramid was once again closed, the lights turned off.

Not making any comments about the show that had just been put on for them, the judges started asking how the children had accomplished it. Sam did most of the explaining.

"Wonderful job," the woman finally said. "Very impressive, especially for your age."

"Thank you," responded Daniel and Sam, beaming.

Once the judges moved onto the next booth, Sam started bouncing up and down.

"They liked it!" she exclaimed.

"Well, I should hope so," said Quentin. "You guys did a fantastic job. Very cool. Definitely worthy of first prize, as far as I'm concerned."

Kathleen nodded. "I couldn't agree more."

What followed was more waiting as the rest of the entries were judged. Everyone was surprised when four other judges, those for the fifth and sixth grade entries, came up to the booth to examine the pyramid and see it in action.

Sam was getting very antsy by the time all of the judges walked onto the stage. As the others took seats, three of the judges came up to the microphone.

"May I have your attention, please?" said one of the men into the microphone. "First of all, we'd like to thank each and every one of the bright young students who participated in this year's science fair. You should all be proud of your achievements." He looked around the room. "Okay, onto what I'm sure you're all anxiously awaiting. We will start off by announcing the third prize winners for each of the three grades. Announcing the third prize winner for grade four is Patricia Snow."

The woman who had judged Daniel and Sam's entry stepped up to the microphone. The best friends grabbed onto each other's hands as she began speaking.

"Third place in the Grade Four Division goes to Marcus Beddingfield of North Bay Elementary," she announced.

Accompanied by the sound of applause, an excited ten-year-old boy and a man who looked like his father hurried up onto the stage to accept a small trophy and a certificate.

Next came the awards for third prize in the fifth and sixth grade divisions. Then it was time for the second prizes. As the man who'd judged their entry came up to the microphone after being introduced as Walter Pringle, Daniel and Sam stepped a wee bit closer to each other, their hands once again clasped.

When second place in the fourth grade division went to a girl from a school in Auburn, Jacob, Laura, Diane, and the Greers all exchanged slightly worried glances. There was only one fourth grade prize to go. Would Daniel and Sam be the first prize winners?

Daniel was also worried. He didn't want to get his hopes up that they'd win first prize. In fact, he was trying to prepare himself for the disappointment of not winning anything. Sam, on the other hand, was attempting to keep her hopes high. The judges had really liked their entry. They'd said it was impressive. It would be so awesome if they won first prize.

As Mrs. Snow approached the microphone to announce the winner of the fourth grade first prize, Laura, Jacob and the others drew a little closer to Daniel and Sam, ready to congratulate them if it was good news or comfort them if it was bad.

"In the Grade Four Division," Mrs. Snow said, "the winner of the first prize is . . . Thomas White of Allen Road Elementary."

_'Damn,'_ Jacob cursed. His gaze immediately went to Daniel and Sam. The boy's shoulders were drooping, his eyes on the floor. Sam looked utterly crushed, on the verge of tears. He knelt before them, taking their hands.

"Hey. You listen to me. Okay, so you didn't win a prize, but it doesn't matter. You both did an incredible job, and we are all very proud of you."

"Yes, we are," Laura agreed, her heart aching for the kids.

"Yeah. Who needs a stupid trophy anyway?" said Mark. "I think yours was the coolest one in the whole fair."

Sam, who couldn't hold the tears in any longer, threw herself into her father's arms. Diane knelt down and wrapped Daniel in a hug. Though he didn't cry, more than one sniffle came from him.

Up on the stage, the remaining prizes for the other grades had been awarded. The man who had begun the announcements was back at the microphone. "Congratulations to all of the winners," he said. "We are not quite done yet, however. There is one more prize to be awarded."

The surprising words caught Daniel and Sam's attention. They and the others turned back to the stage.

"This final prize is not awarded every year," the man said. "In fact, in the ten years that this science fair has been held, it has been given out only three other times. This special award is given to an entry that demonstrates extraordinary imagination, craftsmanship, attention to detail and beauty in both form and function." The man smiled. "This year, it gives me great pleasure to give the Special Achievement Award to two of the youngest participants in the history of this fair, Daniel Jackson and Samantha Carter."

As applause exploded around them, Daniel and Sam's eyes got huge, enormous smiles beaming across their faces.

"Well, come on, you two!" Jacob said with a delighted laugh. "Let's go get your trophy!"

Taking the hands of the two children, he brought them up to the stage. All of the judges were smiling at the kids.

"Congratulations," said Mister Pringle as he handed the trophy and certificate to them. "You did a marvelous job, one of the most imaginative entries I've seen in the six years that I've been judging."

The kids were on cloud nine as they left the stage, Sam holding tightly to the trophy as Daniel held onto the certificate with both hands. When they reached their booth, they got big hugs from all the adults.

"This is even better than first prize!" Sam declared, bubbling over with happiness. "It's a special award that they don't even give every year."

"It sure is, kiddo," Jacob agreed. "And you both really deserve it." 


	31. Chapter 31

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

After they got back to Rome and returned the pyramid to its spot in Jacob's office, Diane called Paul and gave him the good news. While she was on the phone with him, everyone decided that a celebratory dinner was in order.

Paul and the younger children joined the others at the restaurant. When she found out what the celebration was for, the waitress brought out ice cream for not only Daniel and Sam but the other kids as well, compliments of the manager.

"The school is going to want to put the pyramid on display," Quentin said as he watched the kids digging into their ice cream.

That made Sam pause between bites. "But it might get broken."

"I'm sure they'll put it in a safe place. I'll talk to the principal about it."

On Monday, Mrs. Mason wasted no time in announcing Daniel and Sam's victory in class. That was embarrassing enough for the boy, but it was even worse when the principal announced it over the P.A. system. Throughout the lunch break, kids kept coming up and asking what Daniel and Sam made for the fair.

The principal agreed to have a simple glass case made for the pyramid to protect it from damage. On Thursday afternoon, after school had let out, the pyramid was placed within its new home, which had been put in the alcove that also had the display case holding various other awards given to the school and individual students in previous years. One of the sixth grade teachers had come up with a way for it to cycle through its show of lights and flying spaceship once every five minutes twice a day, in the morning before class started and during the lunch break.

On Friday morning and again at lunch time, there was a big crowd of kids gathered around the case, many oohing and ahhing every time the pyramid turned on.

While Sam loved all the praise and positive attention, Daniel was terribly embarrassed by it all and wished that everyone would stop making such a big deal about it. He didn't really feel like he deserved all the praise. Sam was the one who'd figured out how to do most of the stuff, not him. All he did was come up with the original idea, make the pyramid, and help Sam with some of the rest of the stuff. He explained that to more than one child, but finally gave up after the ninth or tenth time.

Despite all this, Daniel cherished the certificate that was now hanging on his bedroom wall. He and Sam had agreed that he'd keep it while she kept the trophy.

When Daniel got home on Monday afternoon, he was alarmed to see that his foster mother appeared to have been crying.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly, fearful that some other terrible calamity had occurred.

The woman smiled. "Nothing's wrong, Daniel. Nothing at all."

"Then why have you been crying?" he asked.

Diane paused before sitting the boy on the couch. "They were happy tears, Daniel."

"They were? People cry when they're happy, too?"

"Sometimes, when it's something that fills them with so much joy that they just can't hold it all inside."

"Why are you so happy?"

"I just found out that I'm going to have a baby."

Daniel's eyes widened. "You are? When?"

"Oh, not for quite a few months."

"Is it going to be a boy baby or a girl baby?"

"We won't know that until it's born." Diane brushed a hand through his hair. "This is our little secret for right now, okay? I haven't told Paul or anyone else yet."

"I won't tell anybody. I promise."

There was a funny look on the face of Daniel's foster father the next morning, like he was both happy and scared. Daniel's foster mother, on the other hand, was just plain happy, singing softly as she fixed breakfast.

Now that spring had officially arrived, Sam talked a lot about the upcoming week off for spring vacation and the weather getting warm enough to go bike-riding. Daniel was a little nervous about learning how to ride, but he was also excited. Once he could ride a bike, he could go to Sam's house every weekend that it wasn't raining.

As it turned out, the bike-riding lesson came sooner than expected. The last Friday in March dawned sunny and warmed up to be a pleasant day. According to the weather report, the sunny days were expected to continue throughout most of the following week.

Quentin took advantage of the nice weather and tutored Daniel out in the backyard. The sound of a child crying loudly sent them both hurrying out to the front. Across the street, a little girl had fallen off her bicycle and apparently scraped her knee. Her father ran up to her.

"I don't want to learn how to ride a bike!" the girl wailed as her father picked her up and carried her inside their house.

Quentin looked down at his student. "I hope that doesn't make you nervous about learning how to ride. Lots of kids fall when they're first learning, but they never quit. I bet that girl will be right back up on her bike tomorrow."

Daniel looked up at the man he'd come to have implicit trust in. "Would you teach me how to ride?"

Deeply touched, Quentin replied, "I would love to teach you, Daniel." He smiled. "How about tomorrow?"

"Okay."

And so it was that, the next afternoon, Quentin arrived at the Underwood's home. Kathleen had thought about coming as well, but decided that Daniel would probably prefer as few witnesses as possible in case he fell.

The bicycle was taken out onto the sidewalk, Daniel and Quentin walking down to the end of the block with it.

"When you make it to the other end of the block, don't cross the street," the man said. "Stop and bring the bike back."

"What if I fall?"

Quentin tousled his hair. "Then get right back up, and we'll try again." He studied the boy's face. "So, you ready to get up on this thing?"

Daniel nodded. As his teacher held onto the bike firmly, he got on.

"Okay, what I'm going to do is keep hold of the bike as you start pedaling," Quentin told him. "I'll run right alongside you. I won't let go until I think you've got it under control. All right?" He got another nod from Daniel. "Okay, here we go. Start pedaling!"

As the bike started moving forward, Quentin held onto the back, steadying it. The first few yards were shaky and erratic as Daniel fought to keep the bicycle going straight and feared that he would fall. But, soon, he began to gain confidence.

"Are you ready for me to let go yet?" Quentin called as he ran beside the bike.

"Not yet!" Daniel cried.

"You can do it, Daniel! You're doing great!"

Without Daniel's knowledge, he removed his hand from the bicycle. He kept pace with the boy for a few more feet, then began to slow.

Before Daniel knew it, he was riding alone, the bike under his complete control. A feeling of triumph and joy filled him, and he kept on pedaling.

Quentin covered the few remaining yards to the Underwood home. Paul was out front, watching Daniel as the boy kept right on going.

"He's doing well," the man said.

Quentin nodded, not taking his eyes off his student. Daniel made it all the way to the end of the block without mishap. Unfortunately, he apparently tried to stop a little too quickly. He lost his balance and toppled over with the bike onto the grass of the last house's yard.

"Oops," Quentin said. He smiled. "I did the same thing the first time I rode a bike."

"Is he all right?" Paul asked.

"I'm sure he's fine."

Sure enough, Daniel got up, turned the bike around and began walking it back up the sidewalk.

Quentin glanced at the boy's foster father. "I hope you don't mind that Daniel asked me to teach him how to ride."

"No, it's fine. I know that he has become very fond of you."

"The feeling's mutual."

"Besides, chances are that I'll be teaching Caleb how to ride in another year or so, perhaps Adam and Susy as well, if we're able to keep them that long. And. . . ." Paul glanced at Quentin. "Diane and I haven't told this to anyone but family and a few close friends, but . . . she's expecting. We found out on Monday."

The announcement caused mixed feelings in the teacher, both happiness for the couple and some jealousy that they were going to get something that he and Kat wanted so desperately but might never have.

"Congratulations," he said. "Diane must be thrilled."

Paul smiled. "I don't think I've ever seen her happier. It makes me feel like a jerk that it took this long for me to agree to have a baby."

Quentin looked at the man. He had known that, up until recently, Paul Underwood hadn't had much of an interest in children, but he hadn't realized that the guy had been denying his wife the joy of a baby of her own.

Paul noticed the look. "I know what you're thinking, that I was a real creep, and I guess I was. I won't make excuses for why I did it. I honestly didn't want kids of my own. It took a lot for Diane to even talk me into being a foster parent. But, well . . . I finally decided that I was ready. Of course, now, I'm scared half to death at the idea of the whole thing. It's one thing to bring a child whose several years old into your home, but it's quite another thing to start with a newborn. I'll probably make every mistake under the sun."

Quentin was silent a moment before saying, "Would you be willing to take a little advice from someone who's never had one of his own but has had lots of experience with other people's kids?"

Paul looked at him. "Absolutely."

"Out of all the mistakes I've seen fathers make, one of the worst is not showing their children that they love them. Yes, there's much more to parenting than that, but if you give your kids all the love there is inside you to give and are never afraid or too proud to show them how you feel, chances are good that everything else will work out all right. It won't always be easy. There may be times when you'll feel like pulling your hair out. But, in the end, I think you'll find that it was all worth it."

Just then, Daniel arrived, looking a little shamefaced.

"I fell over," he said.

"Yeah, but that's okay," Quentin told him. "I did the same thing the first time I rode a bike. Considering that you didn't get to learn how to ride with training wheels first, I think you're doing wonderfully. You probably just stopped too suddenly. Are you ready to go again?"

Daniel hesitated only a moment before nodding.

His second trip down the block ended with him successfully stopping the bike without falling. He got off and began walking back. Quentin met him partway.

The teacher helped Daniel as the boy learned how to get on the bike and start pedaling on his own without losing his balance. Then came turning and maneuvering the bicycle, which was done out in the street as Quentin kept an eye out for traffic.

"So, how would you like to go over to Sam's and show off your new bike-riding skills?" Quentin asked once the boy had mastered all the main points.

Daniel frowned slightly. "I don't know if I'm good enough yet."

"Oh, I think you are. Besides, wouldn't you love to go riding with her tomorrow?"

Daniel thought about it and smiled. "That would be fun."

"Then it's settled," Quentin looked at Paul, "that is if it's all right with your foster dad that I take you over there."

"Sure, that's fine," the man responded with a smile.

Quentin called the Carters first to make sure they were home. It was Laura who answered.

"Daniel would like to come over and show Sam something, if that will be all right with you guys," the teacher said.

"Um, sure that will be great. She's in town with her father and Mark right now, but I'm expecting them back at any moment. In fact, I think I hear them pulling in right now."

"Perfect. Oh, but don't tell Sam that we're coming. It's to be a surprise."

"Okay. Mum's the word. I'll let the guards at the entrance know you're coming so there are no delays."

Quentin loaded the bike into the trunk of the car, then he and Daniel got underway.

They were around half a block from the Carters' home when the teacher suddenly got an idea. He pulled over to the curb.

"I've got an idea," he told his student.

A few minutes later, the Carters' doorbell rang. Jacob answered it, surprised to see Daniel's tutor standing there.

"Quentin? What brings you here?"

The teacher grinned. "Is Sam around?"

"Uh, sure." Jacob called for his daughter, who came running into view.

"Hi, Mister Greer," she greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I've got a little surprise for you."

Sam smiled. "A surprise?"

"Yep. It's outside. You have to close your eyes, though."

Getting excited, Sam let the teacher cover her eyes and lead her outside. When she heard her father make a little exclamation and then laugh, her curiosity about the surprise grew even stronger.

"Ready?" Quentin asked her when they came to a stop.

"Uh huh."

The man pulled his hands away, and there before her, riding around in a circle, was Daniel on a bicycle.

"You're riding!" Sam nearly shrieked.

Daniel came to a stop with a big grin on his face. "Mister Greer taught me how today."

"Oh, wow! That's so great! Now we can go riding together. I'm going to go get my bike right now!"

Jacob opened the garage door for her and lifted the bicycle off the hooks it had been hanging on. He got Mark's down as well, figuring that his son would also want to take advantage of the nice weather.

Five minutes later, the two best friends were riding around the quiet streets of the base. Mark had decided to go riding over to the home of a friend on the base. The adults all settled into lawn chairs on the front lawn.

"It's hard to believe that it's almost April," Jacob said. "Spring break will be coming up in just a couple weeks."

Quentin nodded. "We teachers, unfortunately, won't be getting the entire break off. There are some meetings scheduled. But Kathleen and I are planning on going to the coast for a few days. There's a little Bed & Breakfast in Connecticut that we really like. How about you?"

"Sadly, I won't be on leave, so we'll be staying at home, unless Laura here decides to go off someplace with the kids and have loads of fun without me."

"Now, would I do something like that?" the woman asked innocently.

Jacob smiled. "I don't know. Would you?"

"Well . . . the kids do keep begging us to take them to Disneyland."

"Hey, you go off to Disneyland without me, and I'm going to go AWOL and come join you!"

Everyone laughed.

Jacob turned to the teacher. "I was planning on unearthing the grill and having a barbeque tomorrow. Would you and Kathleen like to join us? We were going to ask the Underwoods as well since Sam would be a very unhappy little girl if Daniel wasn't part of it."

"Sure, that sounds great."

* * *

The Greers arrived for the barbeque at a little before noon. Daniel and his foster family showed up just a few minutes later. As the three men gathered around the grill and all the kids played in the backyard, the women took care of the rest of the food and got everything set up outside on the folding tables.

"You're looking very pretty today, Diane," Laura commented. "You look happy."

Diane laughed. "Do I? I guess I just can't help it. I got some wonderful news last week. I'm going to have a baby."

"Oh, how wonderful! How does Paul feel about that?"

"It was his idea for us to start trying, although I don't think he was expecting me to get pregnant this quickly."

Diane's smile disappeared as she suddenly thought about the other person at the table. She turned to Kathleen to see a trace of pain in the woman's eyes.

"Congratulations," the teacher's wife said, putting on a smile.

"Kathleen, I'm so sorry. I didn't think."

"No, it's okay. I'm happy for you." She looked down at the stuff on the table. "We seem to have forgotten the mustard. I'll go get it." She hurried inside.

"Oh, I feel so terrible now," Diane said. "Here I am, babbling happily about being pregnant and not even thinking about how it must make her feel."

"I'm sure she understands," Laura told her. "I think I'll go inside and check on her."

Kathleen was standing before the refrigerator, looking inside. As Laura approached, she saw the woman hastily swipe tears off her face.

"Are you all right?" Laura asked gently.

Kathleen nodded, wiping away a few more tears. "I'm sorry. I'm just being silly. I'll be fine in a few minutes."

Instead of replying, Laura stepped up to her and pulled her into a gentle embrace. After a moment of surprise, Kathleen accepted the hug and returned it.

After a minute or so, the women drew apart.

"It isn't silly, Kathleen," Laura said. "If I was you, I know that I'd feel the same way."

Kathleen looked out the kitchen window at the playing children. "It's just really hard sometimes. I go to the store, and I see all these pregnant women or women with babies, and it . . . it hurts. I know it hurts Quentin just as much. If he'd married someone else, he'd have all those kids I know he wants."

"Hey. You shouldn't think like that. It's pretty clear to me that Quentin loves you very much. I bet if you asked him, he'd say that he'd rather have you than have some other woman and a whole house full of kids."

Kathleen wiped away the remaining wetness on her face. "I probably look dreadful. I can't go out there looking like this. I don't want Quentin to know I've been crying. He'll want to know why."

"Well, then we'll just have to do something about it."

With the aid of Laura's cosmetics, the powder and lipstick from Kathleen's purse, and a few drops of Visine, all evidence of Kathleen's tears were covered up. Even so, Diane knew what had been going on in the house and felt very guilty. Seeing the look on her face, Kathleen gave her a quick hug.

"Don't feel bad," the strawberry-blonde said. "I really am happy for you. I know you'll be a wonderful mother. You already are with Daniel and the other kids." She looked back down at the table and laughed. "I go in for the mustard and forget to bring it. I'll be right back."

Kathleen was just returning with the mustard when Jacob shouted, "Come and get your hamburgers!" This resulted in a stampede of children to the grill.

Everyone enjoyed the meal. After they'd all stuffed themselves, the kids started a boisterous game of tag as the adults sat and watched.

The playing had been going on for around fifteen minutes when a grinning Sam came running up to her father, slapped him on the shoulder and shouted, "Tag! You're it!"

"Hey! No fair!" Jacob cried. "You didn't warn me that I'd been drafted into the game."

Laughing, Sam ran off, soon followed by her father, who chased her and the other kids around the yard as they squealed and giggled. Daniel was the one who got caught. Now "it", he glanced about, his eyes finally coming to rest on Quentin.

"Uh oh. Me thinks I'm in trouble," the teacher said.

"Me thinks you are right," agreed his wife.

Sure enough, Daniel ran up to him, tapped him on the arm, and ran off again, giggling out, "You're it!"

"Oh, I am, am I?" Quentin responded. "Well, not for long!" He leapt out of the chair and took off after his pupil.

It wasn't long before all of the adults had been tagged, the last one being Diane, who was tagged by a rosy-cheeked Susy.

It was hard to say who were the better players, the adults or the kids, but it was definitely the adults who tired out first.

Quentin, who'd been tagged a second time, had managed to catch Daniel and was carrying the boy upside down as he walked toward his wife where she now sat in one of the lawn chairs.

"Hey, Kat. Look what I caught," he said, grinning. "You think it's a keeper or shall I throw it back in?"

Kathleen tilted her head at a sharp angle and looked at Daniel's flushed, laughing face. "Hmm. Looks kind of small to me. I say throw it back in."

"Okay!"

The teacher flipped the boy upright and tossed him high into the air, Daniel screaming and laughing at the same time. He was caught on the way back down and set on his feet.

Quentin leaned down and whispered, "Tag. You're it," then hurried away to the lawn chairs, which had been declared by the desperate adults as a safe zone.

The remainder of the grown-ups were occupying the other chairs a short while later, soon followed by Susy, who curled up on her foster mother's lap and went to sleep.

Paul patted his face with a handkerchief. "Whew! I don't think I've gotten that much exercise in years!"

"Yep. Kids can be pretty exhausting," Jacob said.

The rest of the children finally ran out of energy. Not long after that, the Underwoods decided it was time to get the younger kids home, both Adam and Caleb more than ready to join Susy in a nap. Daniel was told that he could stay longer.

After helping his wife get the three little ones in the car, Paul turned to Jacob.

"Thanks for inviting us," he said. "I'd forgotten how much fun things like this could be."

"It was our pleasure. We'll have to do it again sometime."

The Greers stayed another hour, then left for home. It was around twenty minutes later that the phone rang. Jacob answered it. When he finished the call a short while later, there was a slight frown on his face.

"What's wrong?" Laura asked.

"Captain Rosenthal caught the flu. He was scheduled to fly out in the morning to Edwards. I've been assigned to replace him."

"But I don't want you to go," Sam said. "Why can't somebody else go instead?"

"Sammie, it's not up to me. My superiors decided that I'm the best one to go. I have to obey orders. I won't be gone for long."

Obviously upset, Sam turned away and went outside. Mark, who was also unhappy about his father leaving, went off to his room.

Laura gave a sigh. This was a fact of life for all military families, but it still wasn't easy, especially for the kids.

"How long will you be gone?" she asked.

"A week, maybe a little less. I'm sorry, Laura. It's a surprise to me as well. I guess we can be happy that I've gone this long without being sent out of town. I've been lucky. I usually get a lot more out of town assignments."

Daniel looked at Jacob. "Where are you going?"

"To an Air Force base in California."

"But you'll be coming back."

Jacob smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. "Yes, I'll be coming back. Why don't you go outside and cheer Sam up."

Daniel went out into the backyard. He saw his best friend sitting on the lawn, plucking out blades of grass and tearing them into pieces. He sat down beside the girl. Not knowing what to say, he remained silent.

"I hate it when Daddy has to go away," Sam mumbled. "He goes away and is gone for days and days, and I miss him a lot."

There was a brief pause, then Daniel said, "But he always comes back."

The quiet comment made Sam looked at him. His gaze was turned to the ground. Yes, unlike Daniel's parents, who were gone forever, her father always came back. But she still hated it. She wished that her dad never had to go off somewhere.

"Now that I can ride a bike, maybe I can come over more often," Daniel said, hoping to cheer Sam up. "In two weeks, it'll be Easter vacation. Then maybe I can come over every day."

Sam nodded. "And I can ride over to your house, too. Or we could meet at the park and play in the playground."

The kids talked about what they wanted to do over the vacation, Sam telling her friend about some of the things her family had done during previous vacations. By the time she and Daniel went back inside, she wasn't feeling quite so bad.

That night, Jacob hugged his kids goodbye, telling them that he'd be leaving before they got up in the morning.

"Are you going to be doing something dangerous?" Sam asked him in her bedroom.

Surprised by the question, Jacob replied, "No, sweetie. It's nothing dangerous. I'll be just fine."

Sam threw her arms around her father. "I don't want you to go away and never come back."

Jacob frowned and looked down at her. "Sam, what's going on? You've never talked like that before."

Sam shrugged, not looking at him.

Jacob made a guess. "Are you thinking about Daniel's parents?" He got a nod from his daughter. "Look at me, Sam."

She lifted her eyes to his.

"Sammie, I can't promise you that nothing will ever happen to me, but I can promise that I will always be as careful as I can be." He gave her a little smile and tweaked her nose. "I plan on being around at least long enough for you and your brother to make me a grandpa. So, you stop worrying. Okay?"

"Okay."

Jacob gave her another long hug. "I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you, too, Daddy, forever and ever." 


	32. Chapter 32

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

The next day at school, Daniel and Sam were on their way to lunch when two boys from their class came rushing up to them.

"Somebody smashed your pyramid!" they cried.

Horrified, Sam and Daniel ran to the pyramid, the boys right behind them. When they got there, they saw that their creation was in perfect condition.

Loud laughter made them turn to the boys.

"April fools!" the kids shouted. Still laughing, they ran off.

"Oooh! Those jerks!" Sam growled, furious.

"What's April fools?" Daniel asked, silently agreeing that it had been a mean trick to play.

"Today is April Fool's Day. People play tricks and jokes on other people on April Fool's Day."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

Sam thought about the boys who had played the joke. She realized that she should have known not to trust them. They were friends of Bud Whitman, and, though they'd never participated in any of his bullying, they did like to tease some of the other children, including her and Daniel.

Getting an idea, the girl suddenly smiled. "Hey. You wanna get back at them?"

Daniel stared at her. "What do you mean?"

"They're in our class, and I know where they sit." Sam whispered her idea in Daniel's ear.

"I don't think we should do that," he said. "It's not nice, and we could get into trouble."

"But it'll be funny. And it won't hurt them. It'll just embarrass them."

Daniel frowned. "I don't know. I still don't think we should do it."

"Come on. It'll be great."

Reluctantly, Daniel followed Sam to their classroom, which was empty, everyone off having lunch. He watched as Sam gathered the things she needed.

"Go to the door and watch out for anyone coming," she instructed.

Daniel did so, getting progressively more nervous as Sam carried out her plan of revenge. By the time she was finished, he was a nervous wreck, certain that someone was going to suddenly appear, catch them in the act, and haul them off to the principal's office.

He was tense all during the time they ate lunch, wishing that he'd told Sam not to do it. He was dreading the return to the classroom and what was going to happen.

When he and Sam went back to the class, Daniel didn't dare look at Mrs. Mason, certain that his guilty feelings were written all over his face. As the other kids came in, he kept his gaze on his desk.

Sam, on the other hand, watched and waited for the two boys to come in. She hid a smile as they entered and went to their desks.

It was ten minutes later when Mrs. Mason told everyone to get out their history books. All of the children lifted the lids of their desks to get to the compartment inside. Unnoticed by two certain boys, a string had been attached to the lid of their desks. When they opened the lid, the string was pulled taunt. The other end of the string was attached to a small plastic container, which was being held lightly to the underside of the desk by some tape. The container was jerked free of the tape, and the boys suddenly found the crotches of their pants soaked with water. With a startled squawk, they jumped up and stumbled back from their desks. When the other children saw the state of their pants, the room was filled with laughter.

Seeing what had happened, Elizabeth Mason let out a sigh. She really hated April Fool's Day. She got up and took a look under the desk of one of the victims, quickly seeing how the prank had been pulled off.

Returning to the front of the class, the teacher stared narrowly at her students. "All right. Does anyone know who did this?" As she studied the kids one by one, she noticed Daniel's hunched posture and the way he was staring fiercely at his desk. No, it couldn't possibly be him. He simply wasn't the kind of child to do something like this. Elizabeth had a thought. But it _was_ possible that he knew the identity of the guilty party. That made the woman's eyes go straight to Sam, who was also staring at the top of her desk. Oh, my.

Okay, so how should she handle this? There had to be a reason why it had been done. Sam wasn't the kind of child to do this without a reason. Regardless of the motive, however, it shouldn't have been done.

"Okay, here's the deal," Elizabeth said. "Unless someone confesses, I'm keeping the entire class after school, except for the two victims of the prank."

"But that's not fair!" one girl cried.

"Nevertheless, that's what's going to happen. So, what's it going to be? Is the guilty party going to let the whole class be punished for what they did or are they going to do the right thing?"

Sam squirmed in her seat. Her idea had seemed so funny. Now, it wasn't funny anymore, not even a little bit. If she didn't confess, all the kids in class would get punished for her actions. But if she _did_ confess, she'd probably be sent to the principal's office.

After a long internal struggle, Sam at last raised her hand.

"Yes, Sam?" Elizabeth asked, glad to see that her faith in the girl had been justified.

"I did it," Sam mumbled, her gaze glued to her desk.

"I see. I'm not going to ask right now why you did it, but we _will_ be talking about it after class." Elizabeth turned to the two boys. "Go to the restroom and dry off your pants the best that you can."

Knowing that everyone who saw them would think they'd wet their pants, the boys left, shooting Sam a dirty look on the way out.

After the boys were gone, Elizabeth handed Sam some paper towels. "Wipe up the water that's on the floor," she ordered.

Feeling terribly embarrassed, Sam did as she was told.

During the entire scene, Daniel hadn't looked up even once. He felt guilty and embarrassed. Though it had been Sam who'd done all the stuff, he had helped her by acting as lookout. He should tell Mrs. Mason what he did. It was only right. But what would happen if he did? His foster parents might get mad and send him off to another foster home. And Mister Greer would be so ashamed of him. He might not want to be Daniel's tutor anymore.

The more Daniel thought about it, the more upset he became. Elizabeth, who'd been watching Sam wipe up the water, looked over at the boy and was surprised to see him wipe tears from his face. He looked utterly miserable. She had to wonder what part he'd played in this whole thing.

Once Sam was finished, the teacher resumed class. The two boys came back in a while later, their pants still quite noticeably damp. None of the other kids dared laugh.

The ringing of the school bell at the end of class sounded more like the sound of doom to Sam. She remained seated as the other kids left. The silence that followed was almost deafening.

"Daniel? Is there something you'd like to tell me?" asked Mrs. Mason.

Surprised, Sam turned and saw that Daniel hadn't left.

"I helped," the boy whispered.

"How did you help?" the teacher asked.

"I-I-I stood at the door and watched to see if anybody was coming."

"So, this was your idea, too?"

"No!" Sam cried. "It was only my idea. Daniel didn't want to do it, but I made him! He told me we shouldn't do it."

"And would you like to tell me why you did it?"

Haltingly, the girl explained what the boys had done, adding that they often teased the other kids, including her and Daniel. Knowing how important that pyramid was to Daniel and Sam, Elizabeth agreed that it had been a cruel prank, but striking back at the perpetrators had been the wrong course of action.

Elizabeth let out a sigh. "All right. I'm not going to report this to the principal since no real harm was done, but I _am_ going to tell your parents. You'd better go now before you miss your bus." She looked at Daniel, who appeared to be on the verge of tears again. "Go on to Mister Greer. He'll be waiting for you."

Quentin was very surprised when a tearful, miserable-looking Daniel entered the classroom.

"Daniel, what's wrong?" he asked. When he got no answer, he went to the boy and knelt before him. "What happened, Danny?"

Tears began sliding down the boy's cheeks. Then, suddenly, it all poured out in a rush. "I-I did something bad, and y-you're going to be ashamed of me, and you w-won't want to be my tutor anymore, and Mister and Mrs. Underwood won't want m-me anymore, and I'll have to go to a new f-foster home."

Wondering what Daniel had done that could possibly have been so bad, Quentin cupped his cheek.

"Hey," he said softly. "Whatever you did, Daniel, I won't want to stop being your tutor, and I know that your foster parents aren't going to stop wanting you. Now, tell me what you did."

In barely more than a whisper, Daniel told him about the incident with the two boys and what Sam had done to get even. Quentin was surprised, but chose not to say so.

"Did you want to get even, too?"

Daniel shook his head.

"Did you tell Sam that she shouldn't do it?"

This time, Daniel nodded.

"But you helped her anyway."

Daniel replied by hunching his shoulders and ducking his head even tighter to his chest.

"Why did you help her?"

"B-because she's my friend."

Quentin nodded slightly, not surprised by the answer. "Daniel, you need to understand something. When someone is going to do something that's wrong, you shouldn't go along with it just because they're your friend. You need to try and stop them from doing it. And if you can't, then you need to just walk away or, if it's really serious, tell an adult so that they can put a stop to it."

Daniel's head shot up. "But I couldn't tell on Sam!" he cried. "She's my best friend in the whole world!"

"What if she was going to do something really dangerous, something that could get her or somebody else hurt? Don't you think you'd be a better friend to her by doing all you could to stop her?"

Daniel's gaze dropped back to the floor.

"Sometimes, Daniel, being a true friend means taking actions that might make them mad at you but will keep them from doing something wrong. Do you understand?"

The boy nodded slightly after a long pause.

Quentin got to his feet. "Okay, let's get out of here."

It wasn't hard for Kathleen to tell that something was wrong when the two arrived at the house. Quentin sent Daniel to the library, then filled her in.

"He's feeling very guilty about the whole thing," he said. "He actually thought that I wouldn't want to be his tutor anymore and that the Underwoods would kick him out. He was crying his eyes out when he told me that."

"Oh, poor Daniel."

"I didn't realize until now that he's still afraid of losing the people he loves in one way or another."

Kathleen sighed. "I guess it's going to take a long time for him to get over that fear."

* * *

Sam slunk into the house, shutting the door as quietly as possible. Maybe if she was really, really quiet, she'd make it to her bedroom before her mom realized she was home.

Tiptoeing toward the hallway, she froze at the sound of a voice.

"And where do you think you're going, young lady?" said her mother.

Slowly Sam turned around. Laura was staring at her with a stern expression, arms crossed. The girl said nothing, waiting for her mom to speak again.

"Your teacher called and told me what you did. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry," Sam said. "I-I was mad at them, and I thought it would be funny, and-and. . . ."

"And you did something you shouldn't have. What you did was wrong, Sam, regardless of how justified you believed that you were. Revenge is an ugly thing, and it can cause a lot of pain." Laura's expression hardened. "No TV or other privileges for the rest of the week . . . and no phone calls or visits from Daniel or any other friends through the weekend."

The other things were no more than what Sam had already expected, but the ban on Daniel coming over or calling made her burst into tears and run away to her bedroom. She threw herself on her bed, her face buried in her arms.

Mark had heard about the incident and thought the whole thing was hilarious. He wished that he could have seen the look on the faces of those two boys when the water was dumped on them. When he got home and saw the expression on his mother's face, however, he wisely chose to remain silent. He had to wonder what Dad was going to think when Mom told him.

* * *

"I'm assuming you grounded her," Jacob said, having just been filled in on what happened. He was not at all happy with his daughter's actions, not so much the act itself – which he actually thought was quite funny and imaginative – but the reason why she did it. He did not condone acts of revenge. When he got home, he'd have to have a little talk with Sam about that.

"You bet I did," Laura replied. "No TV or other privileges for the rest of the week and no visits or phone calls to or from Daniel or any other friends. I think she was more upset about that last part than anything else." Laura paused for a moment before continuing. "Jacob, she got Daniel into it, too."

That really shocked Jacob. "What?"

"I didn't learn that from Mrs. Mason. Diane called a couple of hours ago. She wanted to know what I thought a suitable punishment would be for his part in it. She said that he's been miserable all afternoon and evening. According to Quentin, Daniel actually thought that the Underwoods would be so disappointed in him that they wouldn't want to be his foster parents anymore."

Jacob cursed softly. "So, what part did he have in the whole thing?"

Laura explained to him what Daniel did.

Jacob let out a sigh. "This would happen while I'm not there. So, what did you tell Diane?"

"I figured that since he was an unwilling accomplice, and his biggest mistake was in going along with Sam, grounding him for a couple of days would be punishment enough, especially since he seems to be heaping plenty of punishment on himself. On top of that, he's going to be affected by Sam's punishment since he won't be able to come over and visit or call her."

The conversation changed to how the day had gone for Jacob. They said good night a few minutes later.

The next morning in class, Daniel didn't look at Sam at all, and she was afraid that he was really mad at her for getting him into trouble. At lunchtime, she tentatively approached the table he was sitting at.

"I'm sorry I got you in trouble," she said. "I should have listened to you and not done it. I promise I'll never ever do anything like that again. Please don't be mad at me."

Finally, Daniel lifted his eyes to hers. "I'm not mad at you."

Sam sat down across from him. "You're not?"

Daniel shook his head.

"Then why wouldn't you look at me?"

"Because I feel bad about what we did."

"Oh. I feel bad, too. Mom told me that getting revenge on people is wrong. Did you get grounded?"

"Yeah."

"Me too, for the whole rest of the week and weekend. We can't see each other or talk to each other on the phone."

Daniel's expression became sadder. "Yeah, I know. Mrs. Underwood told me." He sighed. "I'm going to flunk my science test on Friday."

"Oh, no!" Sam cried. "I forgot all about that. I didn't study with you. If you flunk, it'll be my fault!" She got an idea. "We can study during our lunch breaks. We'll go somewhere quiet."

"But I'm supposed to help Kenny with his reading tomorrow and the next day."

"Can't you skip a week? I bet he'd say it's okay if you tell him why."

Daniel considered it. He felt like it wasn't right for him to skip out on helping Kenny, but if he didn't study with Sam for the science test, he'd probably flunk it. "I don't know. I guess I can ask him. I don't think he's here today. I haven't seen him anywhere."

Sam stood up with her tray. "Come on. Let's take our food outside so that we can study. It's cloudy, but it's not raining."

They took their trays outside, then Sam ran back in to get their science books and notepads.

For the rest of the lunch break, Sam helped Daniel study for the science test, determined that he wouldn't funk it because of her stupid stunt.

Upon arriving home after school, Sam headed straight to her bedroom and started in on her homework, figuring that she might as well since she was grounded and couldn't do much else. She was working on her science homework when it suddenly dawned on her that she'd made a mistake in something that she told Daniel. She needed to tell him as soon as possible. But how could she? She wasn't allowed to call him.

Sam went out into the living room.

"Mom? I need to call Daniel."

Laura looked at her. "Sam, you know very well that you're not allowed to."

"But I _have_ to. There's a science test on Friday, and Daniel and I studied for it today, and I told him something wrong."

"Can't you wait until tomorrow to tell him?"

"But what if he's studying right now, and does things wrong because of my mistake? He'll have to do everything all over again."

"I suppose that wouldn't be fair, would it." Laura nodded. "All right, you can call him, but you are to limit the conversation to correcting what you told him."

Sam hugged her. "Thanks, Mom." She ran to the phone and called Daniel's house. After explaining things to Mrs. Underwood, she waited for Daniel to come to the phone.

"Hi," he said when he picked up. "Mrs. Underwood said that you called because you told me something wrong for the test."

"Yeah."

Sam gave him the correct information, and he thanked her.

"I wish I could talk to you more," she said, "but I'm not allowed to."

"We can talk tomorrow at school."

"Yeah. Well, I gotta go. See you tomorrow."

* * *

The next morning, Daniel spied Kenny at his locker. He walked over.

"Hi. I didn't see you yesterday," he said.

Kenny didn't look at him. "I was sick," he mumbled.

"Oh. Um . . . is it okay if I don't help you with your reading and writing this week? I need to study with Sam for my science test, and we can only do it at lunchtime because she's grounded, so we can't see each other after school. I'm really, really sorry. I don't want to not help you."

"It's okay. I don't really feel very good today anyway."

"Are you still sick?"

Kenny paused for a long time before replying. "Yeah, kinda." Once again, he wasn't looking at Daniel, his gaze on the floor instead, his fingers twisting the tail of his shirt.

"Maybe you should go see the nurse."

"No, I'm okay," Kenny responded quickly. He gathered up his books. "I need to get to class."

The bell rang, and Daniel said goodbye to his friend, wondering why Kenny was acting so weird. Maybe it was just because he didn't feel good.

At lunchtime it was raining, so Daniel and Sam got permission from Mrs. Mason to eat their lunch in the classroom so that they could study. She was also eating there as she graded homework. She glanced at the two best friends from time to time, watching as Sam helped Daniel with the things that would be included in Friday's science test.

Everything seemed to be working out well with their study partners arrangement. Sam was continuing to get passing grades in English as well as history and other social studies, and Daniel was doing the same in science and math. Of course, Daniel's strengths still lie in the areas he was helping Sam with and vice versa. It was interesting how two kids whose educational interests were complete opposites were such good friends, but it was certainly proving to be beneficial to both of them.

By the time Friday came, Sam was certain that Daniel would do great on the test, but he wasn't so sure. Therefore, he was quite pleasantly surprised when he was handed his graded paper after lunch and saw the big red A and smiley face written on it. He was so excited that he showed it to Sam. She got a huge grin on her face and bounced up and down in her chair.

Immediately after the final bell rang, she jumped up and hugged him.

"You see? I told you that you'd do great!" she exclaimed.

Daniel was wearing an ear-to-ear grin. "I thought I'd just get a B. That's the most I've ever gotten before on a science test."

Mrs. Mason came up to them. "Congratulations, Daniel. You should be proud of yourself."

"Thanks, Mrs. Mason. I wouldn't have done so well if Sam hadn't helped me study."

"Well, you'll be able to return the favor next week. There's a history exam next Friday."

Sam groaned, already guessing what subjects would be covered in the test.

As the best friends went to their lockers, they talked about Daniel's grade on the test.

"I wish you could come over today so that we could celebrate," Sam said.

"Yeah, me too."

When Daniel entered Quentin's classroom wearing a huge smile, the teacher knew that his pupil must have done well on the science test. The boy had been fretting about it for days.

"Let me guess," Quentin said. "You did well on the test."

Daniel proudly held up the graded paper for his tutor to examine.

"Way to go, Daniel. Congratulations."

"Thanks."

Quentin thought of something. "Um, Daniel, could you wait here a moment? I need to go make a phone call before we leave."

"Sure."

After the teacher got back, they headed over to his house. Daniel was disappointed that Kathleen wasn't home. He always enjoyed seeing her.

"I'm sure she'll be back soon," Quentin told him. "She probably just ran to the store to do some shopping."

Kathleen returned just twenty minutes later. Daniel and Quentin were in the library and heard her say hello. Another ten minutes had passed when she came in. Daniel's eyes grew wide when he saw what she was carrying. It was a chocolate cupcake with a lit birthday candle on it.

"Is that for me?" he asked.

"It sure is. Quentin called and told me about the A you got on your test, and we agreed that it called for a little celebration." She set the cupcake down on the table. "Now, I know that blowing out candles is usually something you only do on birthdays, but I figured that we could make an exception."

"Should I make a wish, too?"

"If you want to," Quentin replied with a smile. "Couldn't hurt."

Daniel closed his eyes, made his wish, then blew out the candle.

"So, where's _my_ cupcake?" Quentin asked.

"What makes you think I got _you_ one?" Kathleen responded. "You didn't get an A on a science test."

Quentin pouted. "No cupcake?"

"You can have some of mine, Mister Greer," Daniel offered.

His teacher gave him a little hug. "Thank you for offering, Daniel, but that cupcake's all for you."

Kathleen pulled out a second cupcake from behind her back and plopped it down on the table. "Yes, and _that_ one's all for you, hubby dear."

Quentin smiled brightly. "Hey, thanks!"

"What about you, Mrs. Greer?" Daniel asked.

"I've got one, too, Daniel. Don't worry. I'll go get it. Would anyone like some milk?"

Both Daniel and his tutor said yes. A couple of minutes later, the three of them were enjoying their cupcakes and milk.

"I wish Sam could be here," Daniel said. "We wanted to celebrate, too, but we couldn't because she's still grounded."

"Well, maybe you can have your celebration next week," Quentin responded. "Who knows? You might even get another cupcake." 


	33. Chapter 33

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Jacob returned home that Sunday evening. Sam was happy that her father was home, but she was afraid of what he was going to say about what she did at school.

It was after dinner when he asked her to join him in her bedroom.

"I'm assuming you know what this is about," he said.

Sam let out a sigh. "It's about what I did at school."

Jacob nodded. "I was not happy when your mother told me about it. Pulling that prank on those boys was the wrong thing to do, Sam."

"But I thought you liked practical jokes. You thought it was really funny when Uncle Irving played that joke on his friend."

"Yes, practical jokes can be funny when they don't hurt people and when they're done all in good fun. It isn't what you did to those boys that bothers me, Sam. What I don't like is your reason for doing it. You wanted to get revenge. What your mother said about revenge is true. It can lead to a lot of pain and suffering. What if those boys decided to get back at you for what you did? Did you think of that?"

Sam's head ducked. "No."

"If they got revenge on you, would you think it was right?"

Sam shook her head.

"Then was it any less wrong for you to get revenge on them?"

"I guess not," Sam mumbled.

Jacob put his arm around her shoulders. "I know that you believed you were justified in doing what you did, but there is a fine line between justice and revenge. Seeking justice for a wrongdoing is right, seeking revenge for an act committed against you is wrong. Do you understand the difference?"

"I think so." She looked up at her father. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I promise I'll never do it again."

Jacob smiled and gave her a little hug. "Come on. I do believe that your mother made a pie for my homecoming."

* * *

On Monday morning, Daniel spied Kenny at the lockers and walked over to him.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked. "I hope you're feeling okay now. I got a cupcake with a candle on it because I got an A on the science test, and I made a wish when I blew out the candle that you'd get better."

Shocked, Kenny stared at him. "You used your wish on me?"

"Uh huh. You're my friend, and I wanted you to feel better."

The smaller boy ducked his head. "Thank you. That was really nice."

"So, do you feel better?"

Kenny nodded.

Daniel smiled. "Good. Maybe my wish worked."

"Maybe."

The week passed slowly for both Daniel and Sam, who were looking forward to spring vacation. However, Sam was _not_ looking forward to the history test coming up on Friday. Daniel spent a lot of time studying with her, cramming her head so full of dates, and names, and events that she thought it would explode.

The studying paid off, however, Sam's grade equaling the A Daniel got on the science test. He thought that she deserved to get a cupcake with a candle on it just like he did and told Quentin and Kathleen while at their house. Agreeing, Daniel's teacher stopped by the grocery store with Daniel on the way to the boy's house and got a chocolate cupcake for Sam and, at the boy's insistence, one for each member of her family so they wouldn't feel left out. Quentin also brought along a single birthday candle, which he gave to his pupil upon reaching the boy's house.

Daniel talked Diane into letting him go over the Carters' house after dinner so that he could present the cupcakes. It was Paul who took him.

"What's this?" Jacob asked with a smile after opening the door to see Daniel standing there with a pastry box in his hands.

"Sam got an A on her history test."

Jacob's smile widened. "Yes, I know. She's pretty excited about it."

"When I got an A on the science test, the Greers got me a cupcake with a birthday candle on it to celebrate. I thought that Sam should get one, too."

The captain chuckled. "Ah. Is that what's in the box?"

"Uh huh, and cupcakes for the rest of you, too, 'cus it wouldn't be fair if only Sam had one."

"Well, that was really nice of you, Daniel. Thank you. Come on in."

"I can't stay for very long. Mister Underwood is waiting for me in the car."

"Well, you have to stay long enough to give Sam her cupcake."

They took the box into the kitchen, Jacob explaining what was going on to Laura and Mark. Daniel put the candle on Sam's cupcake, and Jacob lit it. Then he and Laura followed the boy to Sam's room.

Sam was one very surprised girl when Daniel came walking into her room with the cupcake.

"Oh, wow!" she exclaimed. "You got me a cupcake like the one you got!"

"Mister Greer paid for it, but it was my idea." He handed the dessert to her. "Make a wish and blow out the candle."

Sam closed her eyes tightly, made her wish, then blew the candle out.

"Don't you have a cupcake?" she asked.

Daniel shook his head. "I can't stay. Mister Underwood is waiting for me. But your mom, and Dad and Mark have cupcakes."

Sam was disappointed that her best friend couldn't stay and share in the mini celebration. She consoled herself with the thought that they'd be seeing lots of each other throughout the school break.

* * *

Daniel and Sam did, indeed, spend a lot of time together during their vacation. On the days that the weather was nice enough, Daniel rode his bike over to Sam's. Diane was worried the first time because of the distance he'd be traveling, and she made certain that he knew which way to go. She also made him promise that he'd call as soon as he arrived.

When the kids weren't at Sam's or riding around the base on their bikes, they were at the park or the movies. Not a day went by that they did not see each other. Jacob joked that they might as well be joined at the hip. Secretly, though, he liked seeing Sam having fun with friends. Less than seven months ago, she had been a lonely little girl with no friends. Now, she was happy and had not just one friend but several. And it was all thanks to the little boy who had entered their lives in silence during a time of tragedy and given Sam something she desperately needed. No matter what happened in the future, Jacob would always know that Daniel had been a blessing to them.

The kids were very sad to see the end of spring break and headed off to school Monday morning with more than one sigh, although Sam let loose a few more sighs than Daniel did. He was eager to see his tutor, whom he hadn't seen during the entire vacation.

Quentin gave Daniel a hug and a big smile when the boy came to his classroom after school.

"Hey. I missed you," the teacher said.

"I missed you, too. Did you have fun on vacation?"

"We sure did. It was nice to get away for a while. The place we stayed at is near the ocean, so we went to the beach a lot. It was a little crowded, though, because of all the college kids on spring break. So, what about you? Did you do anything exciting?"

As they made the trip to Quentin's house, Daniel filled his teacher in on what he and Sam did. The boy got another hug from Kathleen.

"I sure have missed you," she said. "It would have been fun having you with us when we went to the beach."

Quentin nodded in agreement. "Yes, perhaps we can take a trip to the coast together this summer, although that might depend on if your foster parents could come."

"That would be great!" Daniel said. "Maybe the Carters could come, too, and we could all have fun."

"We'll have to make plans to do that." Quentin laid his hand on his student's shoulder. "Come on. Let's go into the study and see how much you forgot while having all that fun."

* * *

Sam immediately knew that something was terribly wrong when she entered the house. She'd been surprised to see her father's car in the driveway and thought he'd gotten off work early. But when she walked in the door, the first thing she saw was her mom and dad sitting close together on the couch. Her mom was crying. And then Sam saw that her father had been crying, too. The last time she saw her father cry was when Grandpa Tom died.

"W-what's wrong?" Sam asked in a scared voice.

Laura held out her hand. "Honey, come sit with us. We have something to tell you."

Her parents made room for her between them, and she sat down.

"We have some bad news, Sam," her mother said. "Your Aunt Ellen was in a car accident this morning." She took Sam's hand in both of hers. "She died, honey. The doctors couldn't save her."

Sam sat in stunned silence. Aunt Ellen was dead?

"What about Priscilla, and Olivia, and Timmy?" she asked, thinking about her cousins.

"They weren't in the car, sweetheart. They're all right."

"Are they going to have to go to a foster home, like Daniel?"

Jacob put an arm around her. "No, Sammie," he replied in a rough voice. "Their father will be taking care of them now." He sighed softly. "The funeral is on Friday. We're all going to be flying out there to attend it."

Sam went to her bedroom and sat on the bed. She didn't know what to feel. She had never liked Aunt Ellen very much. The woman was always so snooty and not really very nice. Sam had never quite forgiven her for saying that Daniel couldn't be Sam's best friend because he was a boy. But she had been family, and, now, she was dead. She was Sam's father's sister. He'd been crying and was probably really sad, so Sam thought that she should be sad, too.

Sam's thoughts went to her cousins. They didn't have a mom now. Sam knew how she'd feel if _her_ mom died, and they probably felt the same way. Sam felt sorry for Olivia and Timmy. Though she hadn't really liked them all that much, she didn't _dis_like them. But then there was Priscilla. Sam knew it was wrong to hate somebody who was family, but Priscilla was always such a jerk. She thought she was smarter and better than everyone else. And she'd said those mean things to Daniel. Sam was having a hard time feeling sorry for her, though she knew that she should.

Dinner that evening was very quiet and somber. Sam mostly just poked at her food. She glanced at her father often, seeing the sad look in his eyes. She wanted to hug him, but she didn't know if she should.

It was after dinner when Sam tentatively approached her father, who was sitting on the couch. After hesitating a moment, she crawled into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her close, resting his head on her hair. After a while, he lifted his head and placed a kiss on Sam's forehead. She looked up at him and saw tears in his eyes. He always seemed so strong, and it really upset her to see him cry. She wished that she knew what to say to make him feel better.

In the end, she didn't say anything, just staying there on his lap as he held her. It was there that she at last fell asleep.

Jacob carried her into her room and helped Laura get her dressed for bed. Once she was tucked in, he pressed another kiss to her brow and brushed back the golden locks from her face. He looked up at Laura, who was watching from the doorway.

They went to bed early that night, the emotional turmoil of the day having left them both feeling drained. Jacob held his wife close, gazing into the darkness.

"I keep thinking about how it was when we were kids," he said, knowing that Laura was still awake. "She was a good kid, bright, happy, kind of a tomboy. Not many brothers and sisters get along well, but we did. I felt protective of her, of course. That goes with the territory of being an older brother. When I went to the Academy, we started drifting apart. And then she met Frederick Yarborough, and I started seeing the changes in her, how having money and running with that crowd turned her into someone I barely recognized. So many times, I wanted my old sister back." His voice trembled. "I can't believe she's gone."

Laura gathered Jacob in her arms as he cried. She wished that she had known the sister that her husband remembered from better days, before money and privilege changed Ellen into someone Laura had never really liked.

But, regardless of her own feelings toward her sister-in-law, Laura's heart was aching for the man she loved, sharing in his grief. There was nothing she could do except be there for him, giving him all the support and love it was in her power to give.

* * *

The moment Daniel saw Sam the next morning, he knew that something was wrong. Worried that something bad had happened, he approached her where she sat at her desk.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"My Aunt Ellen died. She was in a car wreck."

Daniel was shocked. He recalled the woman he'd met last Thanksgiving.

"I'm sorry," he said, feeling like it wasn't enough.

"We're going to the funeral. It's on Friday."

"Are your cousins okay?"

"Yeah. They weren't with her when she had the accident."

Daniel had a terrible thought. "Are . . . are they going to have to go to foster homes?"

Sam shook her head. "They're going to go live with their dad."

Some more kids came in, halting the conversation.

At lunch, Sam played with her food more than she ate. Daniel looked at her often. He wasn't sure what to do. He knew there was probably something he should say, but the words weren't coming to him.

"I don't know what to feel," Sam murmured.

"What do you mean?"

"My dad is really sad. He cried. I should be sad, too, because she was my aunt, but she wasn't very nice." Sam's voice dropped. "I feel like a bad person because I'm not more sad that she's dead."

Daniel thought about that. "I don't think that makes you a bad person. When I was seven, a man that my dad knew got sick and died. I heard Dad say to Mom that he felt sorry for the man's family, but he couldn't feel sad that the man died because he wasn't a nice person."

"But that's different. He wasn't family."

Daniel sighed. "No."

Sam and her family left for Boston early Friday morning. They checked into a motel to change and freshen up.

The funeral took place at three o'clock. Sam looked around at the people gathered. She recognized some of them, distant family members that she'd met once or twice. A few people were crying.

Sam's gaze finally went to her three cousins. Timmy was sitting silently in his chair, staring down at his lap. A woman Sam didn't recognize had an arm around him. Beside him sat Olivia, who was crying a lot. Next over was Priscilla, who was also crying but trying to hide it. Beside her was her father, who had a hand on her shoulder.

After the minister finished talking, everyone began going up to the coffin one at a time, starting with Ellen's kids and ex-husband. Sam didn't want to do it. She remembered when they did that at Grandpa Tom's funeral, and it had really upset her to see him lying there all still and pale and knowing that he'd never bounce her on his knee again. But she couldn't refuse to go because that would make her dad upset.

They were next in line. When Sam looked down at her aunt, seeing how still Ellen was, just like Grandpa Tom, she began to cry. Laura saw and pulled her close, leading her away from the casket.

They stayed at the funeral home for a little while, Jacob and Laura talking to some people. Sam kept her eyes on the floor, wishing they could go home right now. She didn't want to be here anymore.

When they got in the car, she asked if they were going home.

"No, honey," Laura replied. "We need to go to the wake."

"What's a wake?"

"It's where the friends and family of somebody who's died get together and talk about the person, sharing memories and just being together."

"But I don't want to go. I want to go home."

Jacob sighed. "I know, Sam, but we need to go. We're family, and it's the right thing to do."

Sam didn't say anything else.

The wake was held in the house of one of Ellen's friends. There was food, but Sam wasn't hungry. She didn't want to be with all these people who were talking about her aunt. She just wanted to be by herself.

Sam finally managed to slip away. She headed down a hallway to the bedrooms. She was passing one when she heard someone crying inside. Wondering who it was, she opened the door a crack and peeked inside. It was Priscilla. She was lying on the bed, sobbing.

She spotted Sam and sat up, turning away.

"Go away," she said.

Sam almost did, but something made her come into the room instead. At that moment, the girl before her wasn't a jerk, the mean, know-it-all cousin who always made Sam so mad. Instead, she was a girl who had lost her mom forever.

"I'm . . . I'm sorry your mom died," Sam told her in a quiet voice.

Priscilla said nothing, her face remaining turned away.

Sam took a few more steps.

"I wish . . . I wish I could make the accident not have happened," she said, truly meaning it.

Finally, Priscilla looked at her. "You . . . you do?"

Sam nodded. She sat on the bed beside her cousin. "Mom and Dad said that you're going to live with your dad now."

Priscilla sniffled and nodded, wiping her face. "He's getting married again. I don't know if I like his fiancee. I guess she's okay. Timmy likes her a lot. But it means that she's going to be my stepmother, and I don't want a stepmother."

Sam began playing with the bow on her dress. "I'm . . . I'm sorry about the mean things I said to you before."

Priscilla stared at her for a long time. "I . . . I guess I'm sorry about the mean things I said, too. Mom always told me that I should be a lady and not act like that." That made the teen start to cry again.

Sam heard her mother call her name and stood up. "I need to go."

She started to walk away, then stopped. An internal struggle went on inside her for a few seconds, then she abruptly turned back around and hugged Priscilla. The older girl froze in surprise, then started hugging her back.

The hug lasted for only a few seconds, but it was long enough. When the girls parted, Sam saw something new in her cousin's eyes, something she'd never seen there before.

"Thank you," Priscilla whispered.

Hearing her mother call her name again, Sam left the room, something deep inside her feeling really good.

* * *

April gave way to May, the weather growing warmer and sunnier. Daniel and Sam started thinking about what they were going to do during the upcoming summer vacation.

"Mister Greer said that maybe we could all go to the coast together," Daniel said as he and Sam sat at a picnic table at the park.

"That would be so fun! We could play in the water and go hunting for seashells and stuff. We couldn't actually go swimming in the ocean because it's too dangerous, but we could play in the waves, and our motel might have a pool. Do you know how to swim?"

Daniel shook his head. "My dad talked about teaching me, but . . ." his head and voice lowered, "but he never did."

"My dad can teach you. He's a good swimmer. He taught me and Mark." Sam smiled. "The last time we went to the coast, we went horseback riding. That was a lot of fun."

Daniel's expression brightened. "I can ride horses. I learned in Egypt. I can ride camels, too."

"Wow, you can?"

"Uh huh. You have to be careful with camels, because they'll spit on you."

"Yuck! That's gross. Did you ever get spit on?"

Daniel grinned. "No, but my dad did once. He said a bad word when it happened, and Mom scolded him."

Sam giggled. "That happened once with my dad, too. Mom was really mad at him for saying it."

Daniel heard someone call his name and turned in surprise to see Kenny running up to them.

"Hi!" the dark-haired boy greeted with a smile.

Daniel smiled back at him. "Hi. Are you playing at the park? You can play with us."

Kenny's smile dimmed. "No, I can't. My dad's across the street talking to somebody. I saw you and asked if I could come over and say hi." The smile completely disappeared. "I can't stay."

"Oh." Daniel was disappointed that Kenny couldn't play with them. Every time Daniel asked his friend if they could get together somewhere to do something, Kenny always said that he couldn't, that his dad would say no. Daniel had never even been to Kenny's house because it wasn't allowed. He wondered why Mister Robinson never let Kenny do anything fun or have any friends over.

"Kenny, get over here!" yelled a man who was across the street.

Kenny winced, hunching his shoulders. "I-I have to go," he stammered. He ran to the crosswalk, waited for the traffic to clear, then hurried to the other side of the street. The man took his arm, and they walked over to a car, got in and drove away.

"I don't like Kenny's dad," Sam said. "He's really mean."

"Yeah. He never lets Kenny do anything."

Sam frowned. "Kenny looked kind of scared."

Daniel nodded, also having seen the look of fear that had been in his friend's eyes for a moment when Mister Robinson yelled at him. He wondered why Kenny was scared. Maybe he was afraid he was going to get into trouble. His dad had sounded angry.

As Daniel rode his bike home an hour later, his thoughts returned to Kenny. He wished that he could talk to Mister Robinson and ask if Kenny could come play with him and Sam sometime. Maybe if _he_ asked, Mister Robinson would say it was okay. But he didn't know Kenny's phone number or address, so he didn't know how he could ask. It might be in the phone book. He'd have to check when he got home.

As soon as he arrived home, Daniel got the phone book and looked up the name Robinson. That's when he discovered that there were a lot of people named Robinson. He didn't know what Kenny's father's first name was, so he had no idea which listing was the right one. Maybe he could find out from Mister Greer on Monday.

Deciding that's what he was going to do, Daniel put away the phone book and went to his room. 


	34. Chapter 34

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

"Mister Greer?"

Quentin lifted his head to look at Daniel, who'd paused in his lessons.

"Yes?"

"Do you know what Kenny's father's first name is?"

"Yes, it's Victor. Why do you ask?"

"I want to ask if Kenny can play with me and Sam on Saturday, but I don't have Kenny's phone number."

"Why don't you ask Kenny for it?"

"I did, but he said he's not allowed to give his number to anybody."

Quentin frowned. "Not even school friends?"

Daniel shook his head.

"Daniel, I'm not sure if it's a good idea for you to call Kenny's house if his father has that kind of rule. It must mean that he doesn't want Kenny's friends calling."

"But Kenny never gets to do anything fun," Daniel protested. "He has to go home right after school, and he never gets to come play on the weekends. I wanted to play with him during spring vacation, but he said his dad wouldn't let him."

Quentin let out a sigh. He was well aware that Kenny's father was stifling his son. It was more than just not allowing the boy to study the violin or receive help for his learning disability. During these months that Kenny had been in his class, Quentin had come to recognize Victor Robinson as strict and domineering. Even so, he hadn't realized that the poor child wasn't even allowed to go out and play with friends from school.

It saddened Quentin to think about the life Kenny had. Such a sweet, gentle boy, and he was cursed with a father who apparently couldn't see or didn't care that he was robbing his son of the joys that are supposed to come with childhood.

Quentin looked at the boy sitting a few feet away. Daniel clearly wanted to change that situation and believed that if he was the one doing the asking, Kenny's father would relent. Could he be right? It wouldn't be unprecedented for a stranger to get someone to do something that family could not. And Daniel was certainly a child to whom it was hard to say no.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt for you to call," Quentin finally said. "But if Kenny's father says no, you need to accept that, Daniel, and not push. We may not agree with the way Mister Robinson does things, but he is Kenny's parent, so we must abide by his decisions."

They looked up Victor Robinson in the phone book, and Quentin confirmed that it was the right phone number, having called it more than once.

After Daniel got home, he started thinking that maybe he'd better know how to get to Kenny's house just in case Mister Robinson said it was okay for him to come over. He looked up the address again and asked his foster mother where it was. She helped him find it on the map and work out the best and safest route there.

Daniel noticed that there was a big empty area on the map next to the street Kenny lived on and asked Diane about it. She explained that it was a wooded area where there were no houses. The boy wondered if his friend ever went into the woods to watch the birds.

Daniel called that evening.

"Hello?" answered a voice that the boy recognized from hearing it on Saturday.

"Mister Robinson?"

"Yes. Who is this?"

"My name is Daniel. I'm a friend of Kenny's from school."

"How did you get this number?" There was now a trace of anger in the man's voice.

"I looked it up in the phone book. I'd really like to play with Kenny on Saturday, and I was wondering if you'd let him come to the park with me. We won't stay really late, and I promise that we won't get into any trouble. Kenny is one of my best friends, and I really want to play with him. Can he please?"

"I do not allow Kenny to leave our property except when he's at school or with me, so what you're asking is out of the question."

"Then maybe I can come over there, and we can play outside in the backyard or something. I promise we won't be loud. I won't even come into the house, if you don't want me to."

"The answer is no, and I do not want you calling here again. Do you understand me?"

Daniel cringed at the man's tone of voice. "Yes, sir," he mumbled. There was a click as the phone was hung up.

Feeling very down, Daniel went to his room. He'd been so hoping that Mister Robinson would say yes and let Kenny come and play. Now, he was worried that he'd just gotten his friend into trouble. He'd feel awful if Mister Robinson yelled at Kenny because Daniel called.

The next morning, Daniel sought out Kenny, still concerned that his call had gotten the boy into trouble. When he saw his friend at the lockers, he hurried up to him. Kenny saw him, but quickly looked away, pulling his books out of his locker and hugging them to his chest. Daniel slowed his pace and came up to him.

"Hi. Did your dad tell you I called your house?"

Kenny's head remained bowed, his gaze resolutely focused on the floor. "You shouldn't have called. My dad was really mad because you did."

Daniel felt horrible. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make him mad. I just wanted to know if he'd let you play with me on Saturday."

"I-I can't talk to you. My dad said that he doesn't want us be friends anymore. We . . . we can't talk or have lunch together ever again."

The news stunned and horrified Daniel. "But that's not fair! It's not your fault that I called. It was my idea. You didn't even know that I was going to."

Kenny said nothing, his gaze never lifting.

"What about me helping you with your reading and writing?" Daniel asked, getting more upset by the second.

"We can't do that either. If my dad found out, he'd be even madder."

Just then, one of the books in Kenny's grasp slipped and fell. He tried to grab it and let out a small cry of pain. As he picked up the book, Daniel saw that he was favoring his left arm and side.

"Are you hurt?" Daniel asked in alarm. "What happened?"

"It was an accident," Kenny quickly replied. "I'm okay."

"What kind of accident?"

"I-I fell. I-it was just an accident." Kenny turned away. "I have to go." He hurried off, disappearing into the crowd of children.

The bell rang, and Daniel headed off to class. He was unable to concentrate on the lessons, however, his mind continually going back to Kenny. He was terribly upset about Mister Robinson telling Kenny that he couldn't be Daniel's friend anymore, but now he was also worried. Kenny said his father got really mad, and, now, Kenny was hurt. Daniel had an awful thought. Did Kenny's father hit him?

Daniel's mind went back to the events of Christmas, when he was hurt while saving Susy from being swept away in the creek. When Captain Carter discovered that he was hurt, Daniel told him it was an accident, but Captain Carter thought that he was lying and that Mister Underwood had hurt him. Was Kenny lying? Did his dad hurt him? Daniel didn't want to believe that. Maybe it really had been an accident.

But then Daniel thought about that day he learned that Kenny had been sick. His friend had been acting so weird. He didn't look at Daniel, just like today, and didn't seem to want to talk. And he refused to go see the nurse, though he still wasn't feeling good. He didn't feel good the whole rest of that week, not playing at recess at all. In fact, even though Kenny had said that he felt better the following Monday, he still didn't play much at recess.

What if Kenny wasn't sick at all? What if his dad had hurt him then, too? What if his father had hurt him lots of times?

At lunch, Daniel couldn't eat, now terribly worried about his friend. He told Sam about the call he made and how Mister Robinson was so mad that he told Kenny that he and Daniel could no longer be friends.

"But that's so mean!" Sam exclaimed. "It's not fair at all."

Daniel picked at his sandwich. "I . . . I think he hurt Kenny," he admitted in a low voice.

Sam stared at him. "You mean he spanked him?"

Daniel shook his head. "I think he hit Kenny, maybe really hard. Kenny's left arm and side were hurt. He said he fell, but I don't think he did."

Sam's eyes widened. "Oh, no! You should tell somebody."

"But what if I'm wrong? Maybe it really was an accident. If I tell somebody that I think Kenny's dad hurt him, Mister Robinson will get into trouble. Then he'll be even more angry."

"But what if he hits Kenny again?"

Daniel fell silent. He didn't know what to do. If he was right that Mister Robinson was hurting Kenny, he couldn't do nothing and keep letting it happen. But if he said something and was wrong, it could get Kenny into a whole lot of trouble with his dad.

Daniel fretted about the situation for the rest of the day at school. By the time the bell rang, he'd made up his mind that there was only one thing he could do: he had to confront Kenny and ask him.

Daniel would not be going to Mister Greer's house today because of a teachers' meeting, so he'd ridden his bike to school, which meant that he didn't have to worry about catching a bus. Kenny, on the other hand, did.

Daniel went outside and began watching for his friend. He soon spotted Kenny coming out the doors. He went up to the boy. Kenny saw him and immediately dropped his gaze to the ground.

"Did your dad hit you?" Daniel asked bluntly.

Kenny's head jerked up, his eyes wide in alarm. "N-n-no! I told you I fell. I fell!"

Daniel could tell that Kenny was lying. "I think you're lying. He hit you, and you don't want anybody to know. Did he hurt you before, when you said you were sick?"

There was now sheer panic in Kenny's eyes. "You can't tell anyone!" he cried. "You have to promise you won't say anything. You have to!"

"But he's hurting you, and it's wrong! He's not supposed to hurt you. My dad never, _ever_ hurt me. Even when he spanked me it wasn't really hard."

"P-please," Kenny pleaded in a shaking voice. "You have to keep it a secret. My dad doesn't really want to hurt me. He just gets mad and loses his temper sometimes. He always says he's sorry after and does something nice to make up for it. Please, Daniel. You can't say anything." Kenny looked over at the buses. "I have to go or I'll miss my bus."

Daniel watched Kenny leave and get in line with the other students. He then slowly headed to his bicycle.

As he rode home, he thought about what his friend had said. Kenny didn't want anyone to know that his dad was hurting him and had begged Daniel to promise not to tell. Daniel didn't make that promise, but if he told somebody, would that be betraying Kenny's trust?

Daniel's thoughts went to what Mister Greer told him after he helped Sam play the joke on those boys even though he didn't want her to do it. Mister Greer said that just because someone was your friend, you shouldn't go along with them when they were going to do something wrong, that being a true friend meant taking actions that might make them mad at you, but would keep them from doing something they shouldn't.

Kenny wasn't doing anything wrong; it was his dad that was, but would what Mister Greer said apply to this, too? If Daniel didn't tell anyone, he'd be doing what his friend wanted, but it would be wrong to let Mister Robinson keep hurting Kenny. What if, someday, Kenny's dad hurt him so much that he had to go to the hospital?

Daniel decided that, even if Kenny never forgave him, he had to tell someone. As soon as he got home, he'd tell his foster parents, and they could do something to make sure Mister Robinson never hurt Kenny again.

Daniel was about halfway home when it occurred to him that he was very close to Kenny's house. All he'd have to do was make a detour of a few blocks. He was really worried about his friend, afraid that Mister Robinson would hurt him again. Maybe he could just sort of check up on Kenny secretly, make sure he was okay.

Decision made, Daniel turned down the street that would take him to his friend's house.

The bus was just pulling up to the curb when Daniel turned the corner onto the street where his friend lived. He stopped and watched from half a block away as Kenny got off the bus and walked up to his house. Daniel waited until Kenny was inside before slowly approaching. As quietly as possible, he snuck up to the living room window and peeked inside. Mister Robinson was standing over Kenny, who was staring at the floor, looking scared.

"Did you do what I told you to?" the man asked. "I told you that you're not to talk to that boy again."

"I-I-I didn't talk to him."

Victor Robinson's eyes narrowed. "You're lying." He lifted his arm and slapped Kenny's cheek with the back of his hand. The sound and sight of that slap burned itself into Daniel's brain.

Kenny was crying now, holding his reddened cheek. "P-please, Daddy. H-he wanted to talk to me before school, but I told him that I couldn't be his friend anymore. I swear I did!"

Victor slapped Kenny again, much harder this time. The boy stumbled back and fell, striking his head on the edge of the coffee table. Stunned, he managed to sit up as blood began pouring from a wound in his scalp.

Fear and rage exploded inside Daniel like an erupting volcano, his mind reeling at the sight of one of his best friends hurt and bleeding at the hands of the boy's own father.

When Daniel picked up the shovel sitting on the porch, he wasn't thinking that this was something he shouldn't do, that he should run and get help instead. All he was thinking was that he had to protect his friend.

Daniel opened the door and rushed toward Victor Robinson. Before Kenny's father could turn around, Daniel lifted the shovel and swung it at the man's head with every ounce of strength in his body. It connected solidly with Victor's skull, and he went down.

Daniel hurried to Kenny, who was staring dumbly at his father's prone body.

"Are you hurt really bad?" he asked, thinking that Kenny's eyes looked a little funny.

"You . . . you hit him," Kenny said.

"He was hurting you. You're bleeding."

Kenny struggled to his feet, swaying dizzily. "You shouldn't have hit him. You shouldn't be here. He might hurt you, too, now. You have to go."

"No, we have to go get help, Kenny. You're bleeding and need to go to a doctor."

At that moment, Daniel heard a low moan. He spun around to see Mister Robinson's eyes blink open, his hand going to the back of his head. And then the man saw Daniel. Murderous rage filled his face.

"Why you little monster, coming into my house and assaulting me. I'm going to make you wish you'd stayed away."

Terror raced through Daniel. He grabbed Kenny's hand and ran, heading for the back door. Out the door the two boys fled, escaping into the woods behind the house, the sound of Victor Robinson's angry shout ringing in their ears as the man came after them, intent upon their capture.

* * *

"Wow. That must have been the shortest teachers' meeting in the history of the planet," Kathleen said as her husband walked in the door.

Quentin shed his coat. "What meeting? We'd barely begun when the power went out."

"Again? That's the second time in less than a month."

"Yeah. This time, our illustrious principal agreed that we need to get an electrician out there and see what's going on. The meeting has been rescheduled for Thursday."

The phone rang, and Quentin answered it.

"Hi, this is Diane. Um, did I get my days mixed up? I thought that there was a teachers' meeting today, so Daniel wouldn't be with you. That's why he rode his bike to school."

"No, you're right. I just got home from the meeting. Diane, are you saying that Daniel's not home yet?"

"No, he's not, and I expected him back ages ago."

Quentin started to get worried. "You say he took his bike today?"

"That's right."

"Is there any chance that he decided to go over and visit Sam?"

"Oh, but he wouldn't do that without asking permission."

The teacher agreed that it wouldn't be like the boy to go to Sam's without first asking his foster parents.

"He didn't mention anything at all about going somewhere after school?"

"I know that he called his friend Kenny last night to find out if they could play together. I even showed him on the map how to get to the house. But it was Saturday that he wanted them to get together. It was just so hectic this morning. Caleb and Adam got into a fight, and Susy was being difficult. Thinking about it now, I do recall Daniel saying something about going to Sam's, but I could have sworn that he asked if he could go there tomorrow, not today."

"Well, maybe you just heard incorrectly."

"I suppose so."

Quentin heard some kids yelling in the background. "Would you like me to call over there and find out if Daniel is there?"

"Would you? I feel so silly now, probably worrying over nothing."

"There's no reason to feel silly. I'll call as soon as I get off the phone with you."

"Thank you so much. I'd really appreciate that."

Quentin hung up the phone.

"What's the problem?" Kat asked.

"Daniel isn't home yet, and there is some confusion on whether he was coming home right after school or going somewhere. I need to call the Carters and see if he's there."

The call was answered by Laura.

"No, Daniel isn't here," she said.

Quentin's concern returned. "Laura, is Sam around? I want to ask her if she knew of any plans Daniel might have had."

"Sure. Hold on a moment."

Sam came on the line a few seconds later, and Quentin asked her if Daniel had said anything about going someplace after school today.

"No, he didn't say he was going anywhere. Why? Didn't he go home?"

"No, and we're a little worried. Were there any other kids at school that Daniel might have stayed to play with?"

Now, Sam was getting worried. "I don't think so."

"What about Kenny? I know that Daniel called his house last night."

There was a long moment of silence before Sam responded. "No, he couldn't have played with Kenny after school."

Quentin heard the difference in Sam's voice. "Sam, what's wrong?"

"I don't know if I should tell you."

"Tell me what? If one of them is in trouble, I need to know, Sam."

"When . . . when Daniel called Kenny's house last night, Mister Robinson got really mad at Kenny. He told Kenny that Daniel couldn't be his friend anymore, and they had to stop seeing each other. B-but Kenny's arm and side are hurt now, and Daniel thinks. . . ."

A sick, leaden feeling was settling in the pit of Quentin's stomach. "Daniel thinks what, Sam?"

Sam's voice was almost a whisper now. "He thinks that Kenny's dad hurt him."

With those words, everything fell into place for Quentin, the way Kenny had acted on occasion, the attitude of the boy's father, little clues that should have made the teacher realize that something was very wrong, but that he'd failed to see because there had never been any visible signs of injury.

As guilt swelled within Quentin, a sudden, horrible thought hit him. "Sam, would Daniel go over to Kenny's house if he thought that he could help somehow?"

"I don't know." Sam was now getting scared. "But if he went there, Mister Robinson might have hurt him, too!"

"Sam, I need to go. I'll call later after we find Daniel."

"Quentin, what's wrong?" Kathleen asked as he hung up the phone.

He briefly explained as he grabbed his jacket.

"I have to get over there, Kat. I pray to God that I'm wrong, and Daniel didn't go there. If he did, there's no telling what Victor Robinson would do."

Kathleen ran to the coat closet. "I'm coming with you," she declared as she got a sweater.

Remembering the address from when he looked up the number with Daniel, Quentin headed straight over to the Robinsons. When they got there and saw the door standing wide open, Quentin knew that something was wrong. And then he saw Daniel's bike lying on the front lawn.

They approached the door and looked inside.

"Oh, God," Quentin choked out at the sight of the shovel lying on the floor, blood staining the nearby carpet. A trail of blood spots led to the open back door.

"Call the police," He told his wife. And then he was running out the back door, terrified that the child he'd come to love was dead.

* * *

Daniel and Kenny ran. They'd somehow managed to stay ahead of Victor Robinson, but Daniel didn't know how much longer that would last. He'd been looking for someplace they could hide, but there was nothing but trees and brush. Daniel figured that he could probably climb a tree, but he didn't think Kenny would be able to do the same. The boy's head was still bleeding, and he'd fallen several times. He looked sick and pale, and Daniel was afraid he might be badly hurt.

It seemed to Daniel like they'd been running forever, but they couldn't stop. If they stopped, Kenny's father would catch them. Would he kill them? Daniel didn't know. He only knew that the look he'd seen on the man's face had terrified him.

Kenny tripped and fell again, landing hard. Daniel stopped and hurried back to him.

"I-I can't run anymore," Kenny said. "I feel sick, and my head hurts. I'm all dizzy."

"We have to find help, Kenny. I think if we go that way," he pointed to the left, "we might get out of the woods."

"You . . . you go without me."

"No! I'm not going to just leave you!"

"Please, you have to go. I don't want my dad to hurt you."

"No," Daniel told him firmly. "I'm not going without you."

Both boys turned at the sound of someone approaching. Daniel looked around and spied a dead limb on the ground. He picked it up and wielded it like a bat, determined to protect Kenny.

Victor Robinson came into view. Seeing the boys, he stopped, lungs heaving from the exertion of the pursuit through the woods. He stared at the boy who stood defiantly between him and his son, a three-foot-long limb clutched in his hands.

"You stay away from us!" Daniel shouted.

Ignoring the command, Victor strode forward. Daniel took a swing at him with the limb, but it was pulled from his grasp and tossed away. Victor then gave him a backhanded slap that knocked him to the ground.

Daniel lifted his eyes and looked up at the man looming over him, certain now that Kenny's father was going to kill him.

Before Victor could take the single stride separating him from the children, he was grabbed from behind, then struck by something that felt like a pile driver. He went flying and landed hard on the ground. Shaking his head, he looked up to see an enormous man glaring down at him, fists clenched. Hazily, he recognized the face.

"I'm normally a peace-loving man, Mister Robinson," growled Quentin Greer, "but, with you, I'll make an exception."

Faced with an eighth of a ton of enraged human male, Victor Robinson did the only sensible thing: he got up ran away.

Quentin turned to the two terrified kids, knelt before them and scooped them both up into his arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice now soft and slightly unsteady.

"Kenny's hurt," Daniel said.

The teacher studied the smaller boy, seeing the blood on his face and recognizing the signs of a concussion. He lifted Kenny up onto his hip and took Daniel's hand.

"Let's get you two out of here."

When they came out of the woods behind the Robinson home, they saw several cops around the house. Kathleen was with them. She was the first one to see her husband and the children.

"Quentin!" she cried, rushing forward.

"I'm okay, Kat," he assured her. "So is Daniel. But Kenny's been injured. I'm pretty sure it's a concussion."

Two of the officers hurried up, and Quentin briefly filled them in. An ambulance was called, and Kenny was taken into the house, where an officer pressed a cloth to the wound in his scalp.

"You say that Robinson was heading north?" asked the cop who was questioning Quentin.

The teacher nodded. "It looked like he might have been injured as well. I thought I saw a little blood on the back of his head."

"I hit him with the shovel," Daniel said.

The adults all turned to him in surprise.

"I was looking through the window, and I saw him slap Kenny two times. He hit him really hard the second time. Kenny fell down and hit his head, and he was bleeding. I was really mad, and I was afraid Mister Robinson was going to hurt Kenny even more, so I hit him with the shovel."

Quentin began to smile, amazed yet again by his young pupil.

The police officer asked for the rest of the story, and Daniel told him everything. By the time he'd finished, the ambulance had arrived, and Kenny was taken off to the hospital.

Quentin suddenly realized that he needed to make a couple of calls. The first one was to Diane, who was horrified by the news. The teacher told her that he'd bring Daniel home in a while. The other call was to the Carters.

"Oh my Lord," gasped Laura upon being told what happened. "Daniel's all right? He's not hurt?"

"Victor gave him a hard slap across the face," Quentin replied, making no secret of his anger, "but, yes, he's all right."

"How could any man do such things, to hurt his own child like that, then attack another child as well?"

"I don't know, Laura. It makes me sick to think that there are parents out in the world like that."

"They shouldn't be allowed to have kids."

Quentin sighed. "No. No, they shouldn't. It's over for Kenny's father. That's for certain. There's an APB out for him. He has some serious charges hanging over his head, especially if it's determined that he intended to kill Daniel and Kenny. Kenny will no longer have to worry about being hurt by that man."

Once Quentin and Daniel had told the police everything they knew, they were allowed to leave. As soon as they and Kathleen got to Daniel's house, Diane had the boy in her arms, hugging him tightly.

"I was so worried about you," she said. "What you did was so dangerous. You should have told somebody about what was happening with Kenny."

"But I wasn't really sure I was right until I made Kenny tell me, then he begged me not to tell anyone. When I was coming home, I decided to tell anyway, but then I decided to go to Kenny's house and make sure he was okay."

Daniel was worried about Kenny and wanted to call the hospital. Quentin placed the call and learned that the boy was going to be all right but was being kept overnight for observation.

Daniel was feeling tired, so Quentin went with him to the boy's bedroom. They sat together on the bed.

"I was really worried, too, Daniel," the teacher said. "In fact, when I saw the shovel and the blood on the carpet, I . . . I don't think I've ever been more scared in my life. I was so afraid that something terrible had happened to you." Quentin rested his hand on Daniel's shoulder. "Your foster mother is right. As soon as you began to suspect that Mister Robinson was hurting Kenny, you should have told somebody."

"But what if I'd been wrong?"

"Then it would have all gotten straightened out. That having been said, you going to Kenny's rescue like you did was incredibly brave, Daniel. I can't be certain what would have happened if you hadn't been there, but it's possible that you saved his life. As it is, he's lucky that he didn't receive a more serious head injury." Quentin pulled the boy into his arms. "I am so very proud of you."

Daniel hugged his teacher back, feeling his spirit soar. He suddenly realized that this man being proud of him was one of the most important things in his life. The terror of being chased through the woods, the pain of Mister Robinson hitting him, it was all worth it just for this. 


	35. Chapter 35

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

After leaving Daniel's house, Quentin and Kathleen went to the hospital, the teacher wanting to visit his student. When they got there, they found the boy asleep.

Quentin stroked the bandaged head. "I should have known. I should have known that Kenny was being abused. I look back on these months, and it seems so obvious now."

"You never saw any bruises or other injuries?" Kathleen asked.

The teacher shook his head. "Not a mark. I can only assume that his father inflicted most of the damage to parts of Kenny's body that would be covered by clothing. Thinking about it, Kenny wore long-sleeved shirts often, even on warm days, another clue that I failed to pick up on."

"Quentin, you can't blame yourself for this. Sometimes, child abuse isn't obvious. Some abused children are very good at hiding it."

Quentin felt tears sting his eyes, his gaze remaining on the child lying in the bed. "I think about what he's suffered, all the pain and fear and feeling like he couldn't tell anyone. He must have felt so alone and helpless."

Kathleen wrapped her arm around his waist. "Well, he's not alone anymore, and he won't ever have to fear being hurt by that monster again."

A doctor came in, and Quentin introduced himself and his wife.

"How is he doing?" the teacher asked.

"Pretty well. It was a mild concussion, though the laceration in his scalp was quite deep. He's very fortunate that it wasn't a more serious injury. He also has extensive bruising on his left shoulder and upper left side that appears to be a day or two old. We took a full set of X-rays. There is evidence that Kenny suffered a fractured rib recently. Judging by the amount of healing, I'd say it was around five or six weeks ago."

Quentin was horrified. A broken rib? He cast his mind backwards and recalled the two days that Kenny was out sick. The timing was right. The teacher began feeling ill. Kenny had been there right in his classroom, silently suffering the agony of a broken rib as Quentin sat in the same room and remained blissfully ignorant.

"Was there any sign of other fractures?" Quentin asked past the Texas-sized lump in his throat.

"No, thankfully. We probably got him away from his father just in the nick of time. Based upon the evidence we have, the violence of the attacks had begun to increase. It may not have been long before Mister Robinson critically injured or even killed his son."

The Greers left the hospital a few minutes later. Quentin was silent the entire way home. Kathleen looked at him often, seeing the emotional turmoil he was going through. After a dinner of which the educator ate very little, they both settled on the couch.

"Talk to me, Quen," Kat said softly, using the nickname she used only when she was worried about him.

Quentin let out a shaky sigh. "When I came upon Victor and the kids in the woods, I saw him hit Daniel. I was so . . . so angry that I wanted to wrap my hands around his throat and choke the life out of him. I have _never_ been that angry before in my life. It took all my self-control not to do more than just punch him. And now I think about what he's been doing to Kenny, and it makes me want to go join the manhunt for him so that I can find him and beat the living daylights out of him."

"Can I join you?"

Shocked by the question, he turned to her.

"Quentin, what you're feeling is perfectly natural," she told him. "If I saw that man, I'd want to get in a few kicks and punches, too. I think a lot of other people would as well."

"I suppose so. I've just never been the kind of person who resorts to violence. People take one look at me, see how big I am, and they think I'm that kind of person."

"When, in reality, you're just a great big teddy bear."

"A teddy bear who's discovered he has a few sharp teeth."

Kathleen wrapped her arms around her husband's neck and kissed him. "Yes, well, even teddy bears are allowed to growl every now and then." She took his hand and got to her feet. "Come on. I'll massage that tension out of your shoulders." She smiled. "And if you play your cards right, I might think up a few other ways for you to release all that tension."

With a faint smile on his lips, Quentin allowed his wife to lead him to the bedroom.

* * *

Victor Robinson did not remain a fugitive for long. He was caught that night while sneaking back into his house. By then, the whole tragic story of what led up to this had been learned from Kenny. Victor had been convinced that his son was an accomplice in Daniel's attempt to talk him into letting Kenny go out and play, that the two boys had planned it all out. The man refused to believe Kenny when he said that he hadn't even known that Daniel was going to call. This led to Victor giving his son a severe beating and, later, telling Kenny that he had to end his friendship and all communications with Daniel.

The authorities also learned that the abuse had begun a couple of months after the death of Kenny's mother. Up until then, though Victor Robinson had been a strict and controlling parent, he'd never hit his son, except for spankings. Right around the same time, Robinson began drinking heavily and started having problems at work, which likely contributed to the child abuse, the man taking out his anger and frustrations on his defenseless son.

Much to Daniel's chagrin, he found himself having been elevated to the status of a hero. The story of what he did was splashed all over the news that evening and in the morning papers. Of course, the kids at school found out, and Daniel was inundated with excited questions by what seemed to him like at least half the student body. He heartily wished that he could go hide somewhere.

Sam stayed close to him all day, hovering around him like a protective mom. The thought of what might have happened to Daniel if Mister Greer hadn't come to the rescue really scared her. During a private moment, he admitted to her how afraid he'd been, how, in that moment that Kenny's father stood over him, he was sure that he was going to die. Sam could have lost her best friend yesterday, and that thought made her want to never be away from him.

Daniel was relieved when the school day was over, and he could get away from all the looks and questions. Unfortunately, his reprieve lasted only a few minutes. As he and Quentin headed for the man's car, a news crew came running up to them.

"Hold it right there," the teacher said in a commanding tone of voice that made the reporter and cameraman pause.

"You can just turn right around and go back the way you came," he told them. "Daniel doesn't need to have reporters bothering him."

"We just want to get his story," said the reporter. "He's a hero. It isn't every day that an eight-year-old child attacks a grown man to protect a friend."

"You're right, but, as you said, Daniel is a child and shouldn't have to put up with being hounded by the press."

With the tenacity that all reporters shared, the man looked down at Daniel and smiled. "Wouldn't you like to tell everyone about what you went through, the things you were feeling?"

Daniel shook his head. "No."

"You heard him," Quentin said. "Now scoot before I have you booted off the school grounds." He took Daniel's hand and continued to his car, ignoring the sounds of protest from the reporter.

"Everyone keeps calling me a hero, but I'm not really," Daniel said very softly on the drive to Quentin's house.

The man glanced at him. "Why do you say that?"

"Because I couldn't protect Kenny. I-I tried to. I tried to hit Mister Robinson with the tree limb to keep him away, but he just grabbed it and took it away from me. If you hadn't come, he would have hurt Kenny again and me, too. A real hero would have stopped him, like the good guys in police shows on TV do."

"Daniel, that is just plain silly," Quentin told him. "You were an eight-year-old boy up against a grown man. You couldn't possibly have won that fight. That doesn't make you any less heroic. Heroes don't always win, Daniel, and they don't always keep the bad guys from doing bad things. You saved Kenny by getting him away from his father, and you protected him to the best of your ability despite the overwhelming danger to you. In anybody's books, that makes you a hero."

* * *

On Thursday, the situation at school was only a little better than it had been the previous day, but, by Friday, things were starting to settle down, the short attention span of the average child turning out to be a good thing for Daniel.

Daniel had wanted to go see Kenny, but was told that he couldn't right now. He was worried about what was going to happen to his friend now. Kenny's mom was dead, and his father was going to prison. Who would take care of him now? Would he have to be in a foster home like Daniel?

The boy spent a good part of the weekend at the Carters'. It was the first time Jacob had seen Daniel since the incident, and the first thing he did was give the boy a big hug. When Laura told him everything, his initial emotion was anger over what Victor Robinson had done. Then came the thought of how very easily this could have ended in tragedy. If the teachers' meeting hadn't been cut short or had even lasted just a few minutes longer, thereby delaying or even preventing Quentin's involvement, by the time someone discovered what was happening, it might have been too late, both children dead at the hands of Kenny's father. Jacob hoped they put the bastard away for a long time.

It was at the end of the school day on Tuesday when, to his delight, Daniel spied Kenny walking toward him.

"Kenny!" he cried and ran forward. "Are you okay? Is your head better?"

"It still hurts where I hit it, but it's not too bad."

"I wanted to see you, but some people said I couldn't."

"I wanted to talk to you, too, and they finally said I could. I wanted to thank you for helping me. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come." Kenny sighed. "I wish we could talk more, but I can't stay."

"Where have you been staying?"

"At a place where they take care of kids until somebody else can take them."

Daniel's heart sank. "Oh. I stayed in a place like that after my mom and dad died. Are you going to have to live in a foster home?"

Kenny shook his head. "I'm going to go live with my Aunt Sally."

Daniel recalled Kenny telling him about her and all the dogs, horses and other animals she had. But then he remembered that she lived in South Carolina.

Realizing what that meant, Daniel sadly asked, "Then you're moving away?"

His friend nodded, his expression revealing his sadness. "She flew over here on Wednesday." Kenny's sorrow deepened. "We're leaving tomorrow." He met Daniel's eyes straight on, a rare occurrence. "I'm going to miss you."

Daniel was trying very hard not to cry. "I'm going to miss you, too."

Suddenly, Kenny threw his arms around Daniel. "I'll never forget you, Daniel," he whispered. "Not ever."

Tears filled Daniel's eyes. "I'll never forget you either, Kenny."

The boys parted, surreptitiously wiping away tears.

Kenny looked over at the woman waiting for him. "I've . . . I've got to go."

"Can I give you my address?" Daniel asked hopefully. "Then you can write me a letter."

Upon getting a nod from Kenny, he scribbled his address on a piece of paper from his notebook and handed it to the smaller boy, who stuck it in his pocket.

With a final goodbye, Kenny headed over to the social worker, and Daniel watched as one of his only true friends walked out of his life.

* * *

Daniel was in a low mood for the rest of that week despite the best efforts to cheer him up made by the people who cared about him. It wasn't until the following Tuesday that Daniel felt he had a reason to celebrate. It was Sam's birthday, and they were going to have a party for her at her house after school.

Daniel had been trying to figure out what to get her for a gift, but nothing seemed good enough. He'd been nothing short of frantic on Saturday because he was nearly out of time and still hadn't gotten her anything. Diane took him shopping, giving him several suggestions in an attempt to be helpful.

When Daniel at last found the gift he wanted to get for his best friend, it cost more money than he had. Diane agreed to give him a loan, which the boy would pay off with his allowance.

It was not a big birthday party, only the friends Sam really wanted there having been invited. She wished that Kenny was among them. She missed him, too, not realizing until after he was gone how much she'd come to like him. One person noticeably absent was Randy, the boy upon whom Sam had a brief crush. Though she still liked him, she hadn't really talked to him all that much in the last few months.

Everyone had fun at the party and stuffed themselves with cake and ice cream. They played Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Donkey, and tag, and lots of other games. Jacob had arranged to get off duty early and was able to join in during the last half hour of the party.

Once all the kids were gone except for Daniel, Sam went to the table where the gifts were and started opening them. She deliberately saved Daniel's for last. When she finally reached it, she found that it was quite heavy and guessed that it was a book. She turned out to be right, but, oh, what a book it was. Every page of the book about the solar system and universe was crammed full of photos and artist renderings of the planets, moons and stars. Many of the paintings and illustrations had fanciful representations of fictitious creatures that might live on some of the other worlds of Earth's solar system, if such creatures really existed. The book was up to date with all the latest things known about the universe. Sam wanted to sit right down and read it from cover to cover, but curbed her enthusiasm. Instead, after giving Daniel a big thank-you hug, she sat with him on the couch, and they looked at all the pictures, Sam explaining a fact or two here and there.

"I really want to be an astronaut when I grow up," she said. "Maybe by then we'll be going to other planets, like Mars, and Saturn, and Jupiter. Then I could actually see what they look like for real. That would be so cool!"

Daniel nodded. "You can take lots of pictures, like the astronauts did when they were on the moon, and they could be put in a book like this one."

Sam looked at him. "It would be really neat if you were an astronaut, too. Then we could go on adventures together."

"That would be fun, but I'm going to be an archeologist, like my mom and dad. I've wanted to be one since I was really little."

Jacob sat on the couch beside his daughter and gave her a hug. "So, how is my nine-year-old little girl? Just think. In another year, you'll be in the double digits." He grinned. "Yep, before you know it, you'll be an old lady."

"I will not!" Sam protested.

"Now, you're older than me," Daniel remarked.

Sam turned to him. "Yeah, but only for a month and a half. Then you'll be nine, too."

* * *

The remainder of the semester sped by. For most kids, the upcoming summer vacation filled them with excitement and anticipation, but for one certain little boy, it also brought a feeling of sadness.

It was the day before the last day of school that Quentin noticed that Daniel appeared not only distracted but also a little down. He took a seat beside the table that had been set up in the study for his pupil.

"So, why the long face?" he asked.

"It's almost summer vacation."

"Yes, it is, but that's usually a cause for celebration for kids, not a reason for mourning."

Daniel looked up at him. "But I'm hardly ever going to see you, because I won't be coming here for tutoring."

Quentin now understood the reason for the boy's mood. "Daniel, have you been thinking that, during the summer, Kathleen and I would have no interest in spending time with you?"

Daniel's gaze dropped to his lap, his shoulders shrugging.

"Well, if that's what you've been thinking, you couldn't be more wrong. Come sit with me over there."

They went to the love seat and sat down. Quentin put his arm around the boy's shoulder.

"Daniel, both Kathleen and I love the time we spend with you," he said. "We really enjoy it. In fact, she and I were talking just the other day about the fun stuff we could do with you this summer."

Daniel lifted his eyes to his teacher. "You were?"

"You bet. Being a teacher, I'll have a lot of the summer off, too, so my days will be free to do all sorts of stuff. We can go to the park and have picnics, take day trips to places in the area. You haven't been to the zoo yet or lots of other fun places, so that will definitely be on the schedule." Quentin smiled down into Daniel's eyes. "I promise you, Daniel, that we'll see lots and lots of each other this summer."

With a smile of joy on his face, Daniel threw his arms around Quentin, who hugged him back tightly. He chucked the boy under the chin.

"So, no more long faces. Okay?"

Daniel nodded. "Okay."

The next day at school, Daniel and Sam said goodbye to some of their other friends. They'd probably see a few of the kids from time to time throughout the summer, but others they would likely not see again until school resumed.

"I'm going to a summer camp where they have soccer and lots of other sports," Nathan told Daniel.

Daniel knew how much his friend loved sports, especially soccer. "I bet that'll be fun."

"Yeah. A couple of my other friends are going there, too, so it's gonna be great. What about you? Are you going to a camp?"

Daniel shook his head. "No. I don't know if I'd like camp anyway. I'm not really very interested in lots of the stuff they do there. But we might go on vacation at the beach with Sam's family and the Greers."

"Cool."

The two boys said goodbye and went their separate ways.

When Daniel got home, he was delighted to discover that he'd gotten a letter from Kenny. He went right to his room and opened it up.

_Hi. How are you? My Aunt Sally said that I should write you a letter right away to tell you how I'm doing. She helped me a little writing it and made sure I didn't write any letters backwards. _

_It's really nice here. One of the spare rooms is mine now, and Aunt Sally let me fix it up just the way I wanted. We painted it my favorite color, and I've got lots of posters of birds. And I've got my very own horse! His name is Dusty, and he's a grey Appaloosa. I get to brush him, and feed him grain, and do lots of other things with him. I'm going to get riding lessons. I wish you could come and visit. Then we could go riding together._

I'm getting music lessons now. My music teacher says that I'm really talented and could be playing in concerts in just a few years. He called me a prodigy, just like Mister Greer did. I'm also getting special schooling for my reading and writing. I'll be going to a tutor two days a week all summer so that when school starts, I'll be reading a whole lot better. Aunt Sally wants me to tell you thank you from her for helping me with my reading and writing. She said that you were a really good friend for doing that. She also says thank you for rescuing me from my dad.

My aunt is really sad that my dad was hurting me. She was crying yesterday, and I asked her what was wrong, and she said that she wished she'd known that Dad was hurting me. She said she would have stopped it a long time ago and made it so that I could live with her. She hugs me a lot and tells me every day that she loves me. I love her, too. I think she's the best aunt in the world. Sometimes, when I look at her just right, she looks just like Mom.

I have to go now. It's almost dinnertime. I hope you write back to me soon.

Your friend,

Kenny 

Daniel reread the letter twice, glad that his friend was happy. After dinner, he wrote back, telling Kenny about some of the things that had gone on since the boy left and the plans for summer. He ended the letter by saying that he hoped they could see each other again someday.

The month of June passed quickly for Daniel. He spent a great deal of it with Sam and her family or the Greers, sometimes both. There were also the days he spent doing things with his foster family. They went to the park a couple of times and played games at home, including Paul, who seemed to smile a lot more now and spent less time fixing the old car in his garage and more time doing things with the kids.

It was on the last Saturday in June that the Carters and Underwoods all got together at the Greers.

"We have something to tell you," Jacob told the kids. "We adults have been doing some talking and planning these past couple of weeks. First of all, on the Fourth of July, we're all going to have a big party and barbeque here, then go and watch the fireworks."

"Wow, that'll be great!" Sam exclaimed, getting excited.

"There's more," Quentin said. "We've talked about this vacation to the beach and, well . . ." he turned to Daniel, "how'd you like to celebrate your birthday on the coast with all of us?"

Daniel's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yep. That's the week that Sam's father is going to be on leave, and your foster father was able to arrange to get vacation time for the same week."

"Oh, wow!" cried Sam, even louder than the last exclamation. She threw her arms around her best friend, who was grinning hugely.

Independence Day was five days later. Preparations for the big barbeque began that morning, the women going to the grocery store as the men set up things in the Greers' backyard. Mark, Daniel and Sam helped the guys as Daniel's foster siblings played.

Hotdogs and hamburgers were that afternoon's fare, along with three different salads, soft drinks, and beer for the men. Dessert was apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream. They played games in the backyard, the adults eventually joining the kids on the Slip 'n Slide and running through the sprinklers. Even Paul was talked into taking a crack at the Slip 'n Slide and was surprised by how much fun it was.

Though he had lots of fun, Daniel couldn't help but think that it would be even better if Kenny could be there. He hoped that the boy was having a fun Fourth of July party with his aunt and would be watching the fireworks with her tonight.

That evening, everyone joined the big crowd gathering to watch the annual fireworks. As the fireworks began, accompanied by oohs and ahs from the crowd, Daniel felt an arm go around him and looked up into the smiling face of his tutor. He smiled back and put his much smaller arm around the big man's waist.

As he went to bed that night, Daniel's thoughts were on the trip they'd all be leaving on in just a couple of days. There was only one way it could be better: if his mom and dad could be there, too. But he'd have his best friend there, as well as many of the other people he'd come to love. It was going to be a fantastic week.

* * *

Daniel had a ball on the trip to the coast. He traveled with the Greers, and throughout the journey they sang songs and played games like "I Spy". At the halfway point, the three car groups met up to take a little break. Sam joined Daniel's car group, and then it was even more fun.

Their motel was within walking distance from a beach, and as soon as everyone was unpacked, they all went there. It was too late in the day to play in the surf, so all they did was walk on the beach and look for seashells.

The next day was when the real fun began. They spent the whole day on the beach. There was a roped off area of the ocean that was safe for young children to play in, and the kids spent hours in the water. Daniel got swimming lessons from both Jacob and Quentin and was soon paddling around with Sam, a smile coming often to his face over his achievement.

On the following morning, Daniel awoke with a big grin on his face. At breakfast, everyone wished him a Happy Birthday and gave him hugs.

After breakfast, Daniel, the Carters and the Greers all went to a riding stable that offered trips on the beach. The Underwoods stayed behind with the three younger kids, Paul and Diane deciding that Adam and Susy were too young to go on the ride and Caleb not wanting to go.

Everyone was quite impressed with the way that Daniel confidently mounted his horse and handled the reins. Fortunately, all of the others had been on a horse at least once before, although Daniel was by far the most experienced. Quentin was quite amused by the role reversal when his student began instructing him on the proper way to hold the reins and make the horse go where you wanted it to go.

The two-hour ride on the beach went by too fast as far as Daniel was concerned, but he was looking forward to what was coming next, a big picnic on the shore, after which he'd be given his presents.

Daniel's birthday party took place in a park that overlooked the water. On one of the picnic tables was the pile of birthday presents, and Sam seemed to be more impatient for them to be opened than Daniel did.

That time came at last. As the others looked on, Daniel unwrapped the presents one at a time, starting with the one from his foster parents. It turned out to be a new backpack that could be attached to his bike, which would make it much easier for Daniel to go to school that way. Inside the book bag were two hardcover novels, Kidnapped and Swiss Family Robinson, two books that he had especially liked from Quentin's library, a fact that Diane learned from the teacher. He loved the gifts and gave Paul and Diane a hug.

He was surprised when he saw a gift from Caleb, not having expected to get any presents from his foster siblings. It was a five-dollar gift certificate to a toy store.

"I didn't know what to get, so Mrs. Underwood said that I could get you a certificate so that you can buy what you want," Caleb explained a little shyly.

"Thank you," Daniel told him, thinking that he'd have to be sure to get a gift for the boy when Caleb turned seven in September.

Next came the gift from Mark, who'd gotten Daniel some Spider-Man comic books, explaining that it was about time that Daniel started reading comics. The present from Jacob and Laura was an illustrated tome of world history that made Daniel's eyes open wide in delight and wonder.

When Daniel picked up the present from the Greers, he could tell that it was another book. When he unwrapped it, he saw that it was the first book of an encyclopedia set.

"That's just the first one, Daniel," Quentin said. "The rest of the set is waiting in my library for you to take home."

Daniel's eyes became enormous. "You got me my very own encyclopedias?" he asked in a hushed voice.

The teacher grinned. "We sure did. The ones you've been using are pretty outdated, so we figured that you needed a new set. I expect you to make good use of them."

Daniel threw his arms around the Greers, thanking them profusely.

Just as Sam had done on her birthday, Daniel saved the present from his best friend for last. When he unwrapped it, he found that it was a handmade photo album that Sam had spent hours putting together. Inside were all the photos that had been taken of Daniel with Sam, her family, the Greers and the Underwoods.

"There's lots more room for the pictures we're taking on this vacation," she said. She paused. "Do you like it?"

Daniel gazed at the photos documenting the happiest times he'd had since the day he met Sam nine and a half months ago, photos of Daniel's first Halloween, everyone dressed up in their costumes, the Thanksgiving he spent with Sam and her family and the following two days that he shared with the Greers and Jack, the Christmas spent with his foster family then the Carters, Sam's birthday party, the Fourth of July, and all the times in between those events when someone had decided to snap a picture. They were all times that he never wanted to forget, and the pictures would help him remember.

Daniel closed the photo album and hugged it to his chest. He looked up at the girl who'd given it to him.

"I love it. It's one of the best presents I've ever gotten."

Sam gave him a megawatt smile, thrilled by Daniel's response. "Mom helped me get all the photos from everybody. I was afraid you'd find out when we got the ones from your foster parents."

Diane smiled. "Yes, we had to sneak them over to the base."

Daniel put the album down and hugged his best friend. "Thank you."

"Do you like the album?" she asked after they parted. "I've never made a photo album before, but I wanted to make it myself because you made my Christmas present yourself."

"It's great. I like how you wrote my name in gold. It's kind of like my parents' names on the book they wrote."

"I did that with little sheets of paper made out of real gold that we got at the store. They're really neat because they make it so that you can write anything in real gold."

Daniel's next surprise came when his birthday cake was revealed. It was decorated with three little pyramids, a matching number of camels and a river that was obviously supposed to be the Nile.

"The cake is a gift from all of us," Jacob explained.

Daniel loved it and actually hated to see it cut into pieces. Pictures were taken of it before that happened so that he'd have photos of it to add to his new album. He was given the toy camels, two of which he then gave to Sam and Caleb. He wanted to give the third to Mark, but the older boy insisted that he keep it.

After the cake was eaten, the kids all went to play in the playground, Diane joining them to push Susy on the swing.

Paul joined Quentin when he headed over to the restroom.

"I wanted to thank you for getting those encyclopedias for Daniel," Paul said, "although I have to admit that I'm thinking a lot about the, um. . . ."

"Cost?" the teacher guessed.

"Don't get me wrong. I do really appreciate your generosity."

"Don't worry about it, Paul," Quentin assured him. "One of the big advantages of being a teacher is that I can get a pretty substantial discount on educational materials, including encyclopedias. Plus, a friend of mine has some connections and was able to get even more knocked off the price. The encyclopedias were a steal. Besides, I consider them to be more of an investment in Daniel's future than a gift. He has an amazing mind and an incredible amount of potential. I'm willing to do whatever I can to see that potential fully realized."

Paul looked at him. "Daniel is very lucky to have you as his teacher. With you in the picture, maybe he'll beat the odds that are against kids in foster care getting a college education. I've been doing some reading on the subject, and it's not very encouraging."

"Oh, you can rest assured that Daniel will be going to college. I'm going to make sure of that. I've already mentioned him to several university friends of mine."

Paul smiled. "It sure does sound like you've got a lot of friends and connections in the educational field."

Quentin laughed. "I have my family to thank for that. Both my father and his father were highly regarded university professors. I was introduced into the world of higher education before I was even going to school myself. My grandfather died when I was thirteen and my father when I was a graduate student, but, by then, I already had a lot of friends and acquaintances in the educational system. I kept those connections alive even after I decided to become a grade school teacher instead of following in my father's and grandfather's footsteps."

Daniel enjoyed every moment of the rest of his birthday. That evening was spent on the beach with a little campfire, around which everyone roasted marshmallows and told stories. Daniel even shared a story from Egyptian mythology.

The boy had been sure that there would be no other surprises that day, but he was wrong. Back at the motel, the Greers asked him to come over to their room. When he got there, Kathleen was on the phone.

"Hold on a sec," she said into the receiver. "He just got here." She held out the phone to Daniel. "It's for you."

Daniel took it, wondering who it could be.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hey there, kiddo. Happy Birthday!"

"Jack! Oh, wow! You called for my birthday?"

"You bet I did. I wish I could have been there to celebrate with you, but the call will have to do . . . oh, and the present I sent you."

"You sent me a present?"

"Sure did. Quentin and Kitty Kat have been saving it until after we could talk. So, I hear you got lots of great presents."

Daniel excitedly told his friend all about the gifts he'd gotten, then went on to talk about all the fun they'd had on the vacation so far.

"You're making me jealous," Jack remarked. "You're having just too much fun. Now I _really_ wish I was there."

"Am I going to get to see you again soon?"

"Well, I'd really like to, but we guys in the Air Force are kind of short on vacation time. But don't you worry. We'll see each other again. Maybe I can manage to spend next Thanksgiving over there, like I did the last one. I'm afraid we won't be able to do that fishing I talked about this summer, but there will be other summers."

Daniel was very disappointed that he wasn't going to get to see Jack this summer. "Thanksgiving is a long ways off," he said.

"Oh, not so long. It'll be here before you know it."

They talked for a while longer, then Jack said that he had to go.

"I'll be looking forward to seeing you again, Danny," he told the boy. "In the meantime, don't stuff that genius brain of yours too full of facts and figures. You need to save lots of room for the fun stuff."

"I'll save room. I promise."

"Good. See that you keep that promise."

They said goodbye, then Daniel hung up. Kathleen pulled a gift-wrapped package from the closet and handed it to Daniel. He read the birthday card from Jack, then opened the present. It was a jacket with embroidered patches on the sleeves that showed a jet flying around a pyramid.

"Wow! This is great!" Daniel exclaimed. He put it on and looked at himself in the mirror, admiring the patches.

"It sure is," Quentin agreed. He turned to his wife. "Did he have those patches made?"

She nodded. "He knew of a shop that does embroidery designs to order. When Daniel has outgrown the jacket, he can remove the patches and keep them or even put them on another jacket."

"It's sort of like the science fair project me and Sam did," Daniel said.

"You're right, it is," Kathleen responded. "And Jack doesn't even know about that."

Sam thought that her friend's jacket was awesome when she saw it the next morning, also agreeing that it was a lot like their science project, except that it was a jet instead of a spaceship flying around the pyramid. If it hadn't been too hot for the weather, Daniel would have worn the jacket that day and for the rest of their time on the coast.

The remainder of the vacation passed far too quickly for everyone, but when they at last headed for home, they were all feeling relaxed and happy, glad of the time they'd gotten to spend together. 


	36. Chapter 36

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Daniel and Sam took advantage of the boy's new ability to swim and went to the public swimming pool several times during the remainder of July, sometimes joined by Mark and, on a couple of occasions, by one or more of their friends from school.

The first Friday of August was quite hot. Paul, who'd gotten home early from work, decided to join Daniel and Sam at the pool with Adam and Caleb, whom he was planning on teaching how to swim. Not long after they'd left, Diane was surprised when the doorbell rang and she saw that it was Laura and Kathleen.

"Hi. We're not disturbing you, are we?" Laura asked.

"No, not at all. In fact, except for Susy, who's in her room, I have the place to myself. Paul decided to take Caleb and Adam to the city pool."

Kathleen handed the woman some index cards. "Those are the recipes I promised you. Laura and I were out shopping together, and since I knew that we'd be passing near here on the way back, I brought them with me."

"Thank you. Come on in."

The two women entered the house. Diane asked if they'd like some iced tea or lemonade. Once everyone had a cool beverage to drink, they took seats in the living room.

"Daniel has certainly been using his newly acquired swimming abilities," Laura said with a smile. "Between him and Sam going off swimming, or bike-riding, or playing in the park, it seems like I've barely seen my daughter since summer began."

Kathleen smiled as well. "And when Daniel's not with Sam, he's with me and Quentin. Quentin was even talking about getting a swing set to put in the backyard for him. Instead, he got a rope swing to put in the tree. Daniel tried it out for the first time yesterday and loved it. I really do enjoy having him over. He is such a great kid."

Laura nodded. "Yes, he is. He's been a blessing to Sam, that's for sure." She looked over at Diane and was surprised and dismayed to see that the woman was silently crying. "Diane, what's wrong?"

Apparently, the question broke the woman's control, because she started crying even harder. Kathleen, wondering what was wrong, had a sudden, horrible thought.

"Oh, Diane, it . . . it isn't a problem with the baby, is it?"

The woman shook her head. "No, the baby's fine." She pulled some tissues out of her purse and dabbed at her eyes and nose. "I talked to Social Services yesterday. I'd been holding off on telling them about the pregnancy, because . . . because I was afraid. You see, there is a limit to how many children Paul and I can foster, and we're at that limit now. I was afraid that, because I'm going to be having one of my own, they would say that I had to give up one of the kids."

Laura's heart was sinking. "And did they?"

Diane nodded. "They feel that taking care of a baby plus four children under ten would be too much for me, that the kids wouldn't get the care and attention they need. I begged them to reconsider, but then they asked me if I honestly thought I could handle it, and I had to admit that they're right. Even with Daniel being so helpful and mature for his age, I don't know how I'd be able to cope sometimes. Caleb will be starting school this year, and I'll be putting Adam in kindergarten as well, which will help for part of the day, but when they're not is school, it would be very difficult with five to take care of. The new baby will take up a lot of my time, and Susy needs so much of my time as well. It just wouldn't be fair to the boys. Oh, but it just breaks my heart that I'm going to have to give one of them up. I love them all like they're my own."

Diane started crying again, and the two other women moved to sit beside her, each of them putting an arm around her.

"Paul and I have been talking," Diane said through her tears, "trying to decide who to give up. After all the psychological problems Caleb had before, plus losing his mother like he did, I'm afraid that he'd regress if he was uprooted. And Paul has gotten so fond of him. Adam and Caleb are so close, like brothers. To separate them would just devastate me. But Daniel is such a wonderful boy, and he's already suffered so much loss." She took a deep, shaky breath. "But we knew that we had no choice but to pick one. Daniel is the most mature. I-I think . . . I pray that he'll be able to handle it the best." Tears began flowing down her cheeks in earnest. "We're going to tell him tonight, and I just don't know how I'm going to look into that darling boy's eyes and tell him that he has to go to a new home."

Laura was horrified by the news. After losing so much in his life, Daniel was now going to lose yet another set of parents and get uprooted from another home. What if he ended up going to a foster home in another part of the state. Then he really would lose everything. And Sam would lose her best friend.

"When does this have to happen?" Laura asked with a lump in her throat.

"Not for a while. His caseworker is going to start looking for a really good placement, people who will be able to handle the special circumstances of taking care of a gifted child. She also wants to give him plenty of time to accept and come to terms with the move. Perhaps a couple of months, three at the most."

An hour later, Laura was home. She tried to do some housework, but it was useless. Her mind kept going to Daniel. She thought back to that time months ago when the idea of adopting him came to her. Even though she'd given up on that dream, she still thought about it from time to time, how wonderful it would be to have him as a part of their family. If only there was some way they could do it.

When Sam and Mark came home, Laura managed to keep her feelings hidden from them, but she couldn't from her husband. It was after the kids were in bed that he approached her.

"Okay, so what's wrong?" he asked. "You were trying really hard to hide it, but I know that something's bothering you."

Laura sighed and sat down, Jacob settling beside her on the couch.

"I got some bad news today. Because Diane is going to be having a baby, she has to give up one of the foster children." Laura looked at the man beside her. "They're giving up, Daniel, Jacob."

Jacob uttered a low curse. "When?"

"Not right away. The caseworker has begun looking for a family that will be a good match for him." Laura's voice trembled. "Diane and Paul were going to tell him tonight, Jacob. I think about what he must be feeling right now, and it breaks my heart."

Jacob gathered her into his arms, understanding what she was feeling. He was feeling the same thing. That poor kid. He loses his parents and his life in Egypt and, now, when he'd finally reached the point where he was happy and well-adjusted, he was going to lose yet another family and another home.

"I wish that. . . ." Laura began.

Jacob looked down at his wife. "You wish what?"

She shook her head and drew away from him, wiping her face. "Nothing, just a silly wish for something I know can't be."

The captain turned his wife to him. "Tell me, Laura," he requested gently.

"I just wish we could adopt him. I know it's not possible. I thought about it months ago, but there's simply no way that we could afford it. We couldn't possibly save up enough money for yet another college education, and Daniel should go to a really good school, one that will give him the best education possible. I know that he might get a scholarship. So might Sam. But we couldn't count on that."

Jacob shook his head. "Oh, Laura. You and I are a real pair."

She looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I've thought along the same lines as you for months now. I even did some numbers crunching to figure out how we could manage to do it."

Laura was stunned by the admission. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Because I knew that you'd love the idea, and I didn't want to get your hopes up." Jacob took her hands. "Laura, you have no idea how much I would love to make Daniel our son, but I'm afraid that it probably wouldn't be possible, and not because of the money. I talked to some people on base about it, and they said that it can be darn near impossible for military families with our history to adopt."

Laura started getting even more upset. "But why?"

"Because of the frequent moves from state to state. There's a brand new law that's been enacted that enables some kids to be adopted across state lines, but many agencies are still leery of letting a family that will be moving out of state adopt. On top of that, there are a lot of adoption rules and criteria that most military families can't meet. I don't how it is with adopting a foster child, whether it's easier or harder. It's not impossible for military families to adopt. Some have succeeded, but it was usually after a long and difficult battle."

The news made Laura's heart sink. Even if they could manage to afford it, chances were that they wouldn't be able to adopt Daniel anyway.

She went back into her husband's arms. "It's just not fair, Jacob."

He let out a deep sigh. "I know, honey. I know."

* * *

Quentin sat staring at nothing. The news Kathleen gave him a few hours ago had torn him apart. Since then, all he'd done was think about Daniel. By now, the boy had probably been told as well. Thinking about what he must be going through made the teacher want to take Daniel in his arms and just hold him. It simply wasn't fair. Daniel deserved so much. He deserved a happy, stable life with a family that would always be his. What if they couldn't find a new foster home for him here in Rome? Even though Quentin had made that deal with Daniel's caseworker regarding the boy's education, it didn't mean that, if there was no other option, Daniel wouldn't be moved out of the area. If that happened, he'd lose all the people he'd come to love. And they'd all lose him as well.

The thought of losing Daniel, of never seeing him again, hurt so much that Quentin felt like his heart was quite literally going to explode inside his chest.

The teacher stood and walked over to his desk. He picked up one of the photos that sat there. It had been taken at Daniel's birthday party on the beach. Lots of photos were taken on that vacation, rolls and rolls of them, but, out of them all, this was his favorite. It was just the three of them, him, Kathleen and Daniel. Daniel was perched on his shoulders, and Kathleen was standing in front of him, Quentin's arms around her, all of them grinning and happy. They looked like a family.

Kathleen quietly came in. "How are you doing?"

Quentin sighed. "Not so well."

"I know. I feel so awful for him. I felt like crying when Diane told us."

Quentin went to the fireplace and stared at the unlit logs. "He deserves better than this, Kat. He deserves . . . he deserves the world, the best life any child could have." His gaze returned to the photo.

Kathleen walked up to him and saw what he was looking at. "You really do love him, don't you," she said gently.

Quentin lifted his eyes to hers. "Is it that obvious?"

"Only about as obvious as you standing in a crowd of midgets. I've seen how you are with your students, Quentin, and I know that you care about all of them, but I've never seen you like you are with Daniel. Whenever he's around, your face goes all soft and mushy."

The teacher barked out a laugh. "Soft and mushy? That sounds quite disgusting, like my face is a bowl of cereal that's soaked too long in the milk."

"Well, maybe a bowl of Wheaties."

"I guess that's better than a bowl of corn flakes." Quentin became serious. "I didn't intend for it to happen, you know."

"I know, but he's a very special little boy."

"Yes, he is, and he deserves so much more than he has. I wish. . . ."

Kat studied her husband's face, knowing what he'd kept himself from saying. "You wish he was ours."

Quentin looked into her eyes. He knew how much anguish her inability to conceive caused her. They'd never talked about alternatives. "I know how much you want us to have a baby of our own, Kat, but we could give Daniel a good home. With my academic connections, I could make sure that his gifts are developed to their fullest. I've already mentioned him to Walt Branson at UCLA, as well as some others, and they're all very intrigued. UCLA has an excellent linguistics program. Daniel has so much potential, and I want to see that he gets the best education possible."

"And you want to see him loved," Kat added softly.

Quentin sighed. "Yes. I want him to be loved. I want him to have a real family." He met his wife's eyes again. "I do love him, Kat, more than I could have imagined. I want him to be my son. I want him to be _our_ son. I know it's not the same thing as having a baby of our own, but I think that he could make us happy."

Kat walked to the window. She lifted the curtain and looked out at the street and houses in the light of the setting sun. For over six years, they'd tried for a baby, six years of bitter disappointments. With every year that passed, her hopes of having a child had grown dimmer and dimmer. She was now in her thirties, and her window for having a baby was gradually closing. She didn't want to die never having had the joy of being a mother.

Daniel was a wonderful little boy. Just his presence here seemed to make the place happier and brighter. The sound of childish laughter in the house had been so sweet. They could have that every day. And if she was really honest with herself, she'd admit that she had come to love him dearly, too. Every time he was here, she didn't want him to leave.

Quentin came up behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I know that the idea of adoption can be scary, Kat, but please say you'll consider it. It doesn't mean that we have to give up on having a baby of our own."

Kat was silent for several seconds longer, then she left her husband's arms and went to the phone. She picked up the address book and opened it.

"Who are you calling?" Quentin asked.

"Daniel's caseworker. I figured that we should talk to her about what would be involved in an adoption."

Quentin stared at her in surprise, then a huge grin split his face. He covered the distance between them and lifted her clear off the floor, spinning her around as he laughed. He kissed her soundly.

"Thank you," he whispered.

* * *

When Sam's parents told her the news about Daniel the next morning, she was horrified and deeply upset, knowing how heartbroken Daniel must be. What if he was sent to a foster home far away? She might never see him again.

She wanted to go over to his house and see him, to hug him and squeeze him so tight that his eyes almost popped out. But when she called the Underwoods, Diane told her that Daniel was not up to visitors. The woman had sounded all stuffed up, like she had been crying a lot.

Sam was right about that. Diane had cried buckets since she and Paul told Daniel the news last night. The look in his eyes had speared right through her. She had told him repeatedly that it was not because they didn't love him. She'd said that, if she could, she'd keep him forever. But all he'd done was nod and then go off to his room. They hadn't seen him since then. She'd knocked on his door this morning, asking if he wanted breakfast, but he said no. She got the same answer when she asked if he'd like to see Sam. Terribly worried about him, she'd checked on him a little while ago, asking if he'd changed his mind about having something to eat. He'd just shaken his head from his place on the bed, his arms wrapped tightly about his waist, eyes on the floor.

She didn't know what to do. He was withdrawing back into his shell, and she didn't know how to stop it.

Diane looked over at the phone. Perhaps Quentin could do something. He and Daniel had developed a special bond. Surely if anyone could give Daniel comfort it would be him.

She called the number for the Greers, but got no answer. Sighing, she hung up, but her hand did not leave the receiver. Instead, she picked it up again and dialed another number.

"Captain Carter? It's Diane."

"Hello, Diane." There was a long pause. "How is Daniel doing?"

"Not well, I'm afraid. He took the news really hard. He won't talk to us, Jacob. He hasn't left his room. I know he doesn't want to see anyone, but he and Sam are so close, and I thought that maybe being with her would help."

"Say no more. I'll bring her right over."

Sam and her father arrived ten minutes later.

"You go on in there, Sammie," Jacob told his daughter.

Sam went to Daniel's room and tentatively knocked on the door. When she didn't get an answer, she peeked inside. Daniel was sitting on the floor, his back against the bed. He was hugging his knees and staring at them.

Sam came up to him and sat down next to him.

"I have to go to another foster home," he whispered.

"I know. Mom and Dad told me this morning."

"I thought I was going to get to stay here. Mrs. Underwood told me a long time ago that even if I someday had to go to another foster home, I'd get to stay here in Rome because of the agreement Mister Greer made, but what if the foster care people change their minds?" He started crying. "I might have to m-move far away. Then I'll n-never s-see anybody again."

Sam threw her arms around Daniel and began crying as well.

_'He can't go away,'_ Sam thought. _'He just can't!' _

It was a couple of minutes later that Jacob looked in the room and saw the two crying children locked in a tight embrace. He felt his heart crack wide open.

He headed outside and just stood on the lawn. He felt so helpless and frustrated. He wanted to do something, but he didn't know what. How could he make this better?

The captain thought about what he and Laura had discussed. It wouldn't be easy. It would be an uphill battle, probably with a lot of disappointments, but if they won, if they could get past all the things standing in the way, Daniel would be theirs, and he would never have to go through this pain again. Yes, it would mean they'd have to really struggle to save enough for three college educations, but it would be worth it. And there was one thing to consider. If Sam was really serious about being an astronaut, she would have to join the Air Force. She could attend the Academy, meaning that there would be no worries about paying her college tuition. Of course, it wasn't a sure thing that she'd get in. The Academy didn't take all applicants. But as brilliant as she was, they'd be crazy not to snatch her up.

Deciding that it would be good for Sam and Daniel to have some time together, Jacob told Diane that he'd be back in an hour. He then went for a drive around town, running through everything in his head. By the time he returned, he'd made up his mind that he'd talk to Laura about trying to adopt Daniel.

Sam wanted to stay with Daniel, and the boy was all right with it, so Jacob left for home, intending to return later that afternoon.

Mark was watching some program on TV with a friend when Jacob got home, so he didn't feel comfortable talking to Laura about what he'd decided.

"How's Daniel doing?" she asked.

"Better, I think. Having Sam there seems to be doing him a lot of good."

An hour later, Mark and his friend headed outside. As soon as he was sure they were really gone, Jacob turned to his wife.

"Laura, I've been thinking about it, and I think we should try to adopt Daniel. It might take a long time, and I know it won't be easy on any of us, but I think it's worth fighting for."

"And the money?"

Jacob told her about what he'd been thinking.

"But there's no guarantee that she won't change her mind, Jacob," Laura pointed out. "I wanted to be a bareback rider in the circus when I was her age."

"Yes, and I wanted to be a fireman, just like several million other boys. I know that we can't be sure of anything, and it might end up putting a real strain on our budget, but I really think it would be worth it."

Laura studied his face for a long moment. And then she smiled.

"Okay, let's go for it. We'll call Mrs. Merrick on Monday."

* * *

Jacob and Laura didn't say a word to the kids about their decision. Before they said anything at all, they needed to talk to Daniel's caseworker.

The next day, Sam wanted to go back over to Daniel's, so her parents gave her permission to ride over there on her bike. Mark was off with his friends, so it was just Laura and Jacob at home when they received a surprise visit from the Greers. Jacob knew that something was up the second he laid eyes on them. They were nearly bursting with excitement, and Quentin's eyes were bright with happiness.

"We just had to tell you!" Kathleen exclaimed once they were in the house.

"Tell us what?" Laura asked, smiling at the woman's excitement.

It was Quentin who answered. "We went to see Daniel's caseworker yesterday." A big grin spread across his face and, at the same time as his wife, said, "We're going to adopt Daniel."

Surprised, Jacob and Laura just gaped at them, their minds thrown off course by the announcement.

"We decided Friday night," Quentin continued, unaware of how the news had affected the Carters. "We called Lucy Merrick at home, and she was so delighted that she asked us to make the trip over to her office yesterday even though she doesn't normally work there on Saturdays. Kat and I spent half of Friday night gathering all the records and other paperwork she said they'd need. Of course, it's not a done deal yet, but Lucy seems to think that we'll have no trouble at all adopting him. She says that, what with my job as an educator and the huge advantages it could give to Daniel in his academic future, we're a perfect match."

As Jacob looked over at his wife, the thought that went through his mind wasn't one of disappointment. Instead, it was the realization that this was how it should be, the future Daniel was meant to have. And it _was_ perfect. He would have two parents who adored him and would give him a bright future, and, in return, he'd give them the joy of having a child, a joy that they'd been unable to have before now. Laura had told him about Kathleen's inability to conceive. Yes, Jacob did feel a touch of sadness that he and Laura wouldn't be making Daniel a member of their family, but that was all right. Daniel would have a happy life with the Greers, and that's what was most important.

Looking into his wife's eyes, Jacob saw that she was thinking the same thing. Smiling, they both turned back to the other couple.

"Congratulations," the captain said, truly meaning it.

The two women hugged, and the men shared a hearty handshake, Jacob giving Quentin a pat on the shoulder. They all went into the living room and took seats.

"We told Diane and Paul last night," Kathleen said. She smiled. "Diane was so happy that she started crying. She's going to let us tell Daniel."

"Will you be doing that today?" Jacob asked, thinking that he'd love to see the joy he knew that news was going to put on the boy's face.

"We'd really love to, but we don't know if we should. Like Quentin said, it's not a done deal yet. If we told him, and, for some reason, the whole thing fell through, we know that it would just crush him."

"But we have to talk to him about it to make sure that he's okay with it," Quentin added.

Jacob laughed. "Are you crazy? He'll be on the moon. Quentin, that kid just about idolizes you. The way he goes on about you, I'd almost think that you already are his father."

The teacher smiled, pleased by the comment. He very much wanted Daniel to think of him as a father. He knew that, in some ways, he could never replace Melburn Jackson, but he hoped that Daniel would come to love and accept him as a second father.

Quentin and Kathleen didn't talk to Daniel that day, deciding that it would be best to wait until they'd talked to his caseworker again, who was supposed to get back to them later in the week.

Upon hearing from Diane the next day that Daniel was still very depressed, Quentin invited him over, hoping to cheer him up, though the teacher still had no plans to tell his student about the adoption. When Quentin first laid eyes on the sad little boy, he had to bite his tongue not to blurt out the good news. It took a monumental effort not to say a word about it during Daniel's time at the house, especially since the child's mood lifted only marginally.

The next day, Quentin stopped by the Underwoods to check up on Daniel. As soon as he saw the boy, he knew that not much had changed. Daniel was trying to put on a brave face, but the sorrow and worry were still in his eyes.

Less than five minutes after returning home, Quentin suddenly shouted, "I can't take it anymore!"

Kathleen started violently, then stared at him.

"Kat, we have to tell him. I know we'd be taking a chance, but I look in those sad eyes of his, and I swear that I'm going to explode if I don't tell him."

His wife smiled. "Why do you think I made myself scarce while he was here yesterday? I knew that if I looked at him for more than ten minutes at a time, I was going to spill the beans."

Quentin laughed. "Then we'll tell him tomorrow?"

Kat nodded. "Tomorrow."

* * *

Daniel let out a silent sigh as he waited in the living room for Mister Greer to pick him up for another day spent at his teacher's house. He was trying not to feel so sad, to accept that he'd be losing another home and a life with a man and woman whom he had come to care about a lot, though he had never been able to think of them as real parents. Where would he go now? Who would he have to accept as his new "family"? Would they be nice? How long would he stay with them before something happened and he'd have to go to yet another home? Would he ever have a real home, someplace he could stay forever?

And what if he had to move far away? He'd never see Sam and her family again. He'd never see the Greers again. That hurt so much that he had to fight not to start crying again.

After his parents died, he'd believed that if he never let himself love anyone, then he'd never get hurt again when they went away. He'd already had to say goodbye to Kenny. He was now going to have to say goodbye to the Underwoods, and he might have to say goodbye to _everyone_. And then he'd be all alone again.

Maybe he'd been right before. If he hadn't let himself love anybody, this wouldn't hurt so much.

Mister Greer gave him a big smile when he arrived, and Daniel tried to smile back, but he couldn't. The drive to his tutor's house was made in silence, Daniel staring out the side window. Once they'd arrived, his teacher asked him to go into the study, saying that he'd be back in a moment. When the man entered the study a couple of minutes later, Kathleen was with him.

"Daniel, Kathleen and I need to talk to you about something," Quentin said. "Come sit down with us." He and his wife settled on the love seat, leaving room between them for him.

Daniel stared at their faces, which looked so serious. Getting worried, he sat between them. He was afraid that Mister Greer was going to tell him that he couldn't be his tutor anymore. Or what if they were moving away? Was he already going to lose them?

Quentin looked down and saw that Daniel seemed to be on the verge of tears. "Hey, why are you getting sad?"

Daniel sniffled. "Because you're going to tell me that you can't be my tutor anymore or that you're moving away."

"What gave you that idea?"

"Because Kenny moved away, and now I have to move to a new home, and . . . and. . . ."

Quentin sighed. "And you thought that you were now going to lose something else." He gave the child a hug. "You're not going to lose us, too, Daniel. In fact, we have a very important question to ask you."

"What's that?"

"How would you like to come live with us?"

Surprised, Daniel looked up at him. "You mean all the time?"

"Uh huh."

"You'd be my new foster family?"

"No, Daniel, not your foster family. Kat and I want to adopt you."

Daniel's eyes grew huge. "A-adopt me?"

Quentin smiled down at him. "Yes. You'd be our son, Daniel, and we'd be your parents."

"F-forever?"

"Forever."

"I'd never be taken away, and you'd never leave?"

"We can't live forever, Daniel, but for as long as we live, we'd be your family."

Daniel blue eyes met Quentin's, eyes filled with aching need. "And I'd never be alone?"

A big lump formed in Quentin's throat, and he pulled the boy close. "You'd never be alone," he said in an emotion-filled voice.

Daniel buried his face against his tutor's shirt, hugging him tightly around the waist. They were going to be his new family, a _real_ family, not just a foster family.

Just then, Daniel had a thought. If they were going to be his new mother and father, what about his real parents? What did this mean in regards to them?

He lifted his head to look at Quentin. "If you become my parents, what about my real mom and dad?"

"The adoption wouldn't change what your mom and dad were to you, Daniel," Kathleen replied. "They will always be the parents who gave you life and loved you for the first eight years of your life. We'd be your second set of parents."

"Would Nick still be my grandpa?"

Quentin and Kathleen exchanged a glance over the child's head.

"Yes, he'd still be your grandfather, Daniel," the teacher replied. "On top of that, you'd gain three new grandparents. There's my mother, and both of Kathleen's parents are still living. As you know, my mother lives in New York City, so you'd probably see her quite a bit. Kat's mom and dad live in Maine, but they come to visit sometimes, and we go to visit them."

Daniel couldn't imagine what it would be like to have four grandparents. Nick was the only grandparent he'd ever known, all the others having died either when he was too young to remember them or before he was born.

"And you'd have other relatives, too," Kathleen said with a smile.

"Including Jack?"

Quentin laughed. "Yep, including Jack. He'd be your second cousin once removed, which is probably as close a relationship as you'd want to him."

Kathleen swatted his arm. "Quentin! What a thing to say!"

Daniel began playing with one if his shirt buttons, his eye lowered. "After you adopt me, would I still call you Mister and Mrs. Greer?"

Quentin paused, sharing a look with his wife. Instead of answering Daniel's question, he asked one of his own. "What would you like to call us?"

Daniel's voice dropped to a whisper. "Could I . . . could I call you Mom and Dad?"

Kathleen started crying, and Quentin was right on the verge of doing the same. He enfolded the child back into his arms.

"Yes, Danny," he answered in a voice that trembled. "Yes, you can call us Mom and Dad. There's nothing in the world that we'd like more."

After another long hug, Quentin cleared the lump from his throat and put on a big smile. "Hey, how about if we go do something together? I'm in the mood to celebrate."

Daniel smiled brightly. "Can we go to the Carters so I can tell Sam?"

"Sure, we can. But let's wait until after Captain Carter is home. I bet he'll want to be there to see you tell her. He and Laura already know, but have been keeping it a secret."

After calling Diane and letting her know their plans, Quentin and Kathleen took Daniel out to lunch. After that, they got some ice cream and went to the park, where the teacher spun Daniel around on the merry-go-round so fast that the boy thought for sure it would go flying right up into the air.

Once they were certain that Jacob would be home, they went to the base. Jacob smiled when he saw them, the bright, happy look on Daniel's face telling him that the boy had been given the good news.

"Daniel has something he wants to tell Sam," Quentin said, also smiling.

Laura called to the girl, who came running out of her bedroom. She was surprised to see the Greers and her best friend and wondered what was going on, especially when she noticed the way that Daniel was all but bouncing with excitement.

"Go on and tell her, Daniel," Quentin said in amusement.

"They're going to adopt me!" Daniel exclaimed.

Sam's eyes flew open wide. Then _she_ started bouncing up and down.

"Oh, wow, oh, wow, oh, wow!"

The two kids leapt into each other's arms and bounced together, all of the adults laughing at the sight. Once the vertical motion had halted and they'd let each other go, Sam ran up to the Greers and hugged each of them.

They all decided to have dinner together. They invited the Underwoods, who stopped to get Kentucky Fried Chicken on the way over.

After the meal, the kids played while the adults chatted.

Diane looked over at Daniel and smiled. "I just can't tell you how wonderful this is," she said. "He's like a different boy from yesterday. This was an answer to my prayers." She looked at the boy's future parents. "God bless you for doing this."

"Daniel is the one who will be blessing us, Diane," Quentin responded. "I can't express how wonderful it will be to have him as our son." He laughed. "If we could, we'd have him move in tomorrow. However long it is that we have to wait before he can come live with us, it'll be too long." His expression dimmed. "I just hope that there won't be any problems."

The comment worried Diane. "You mean there's some chance that . . ." she glanced at Daniel and lowered her voice, "that Social Services will decide against it?"

"Daniel's caseworker is pretty confident that everything will be fine, but we can't be a hundred percent certain yet."

"Don't you guys worry," Jacob said. "There's no way they could say no. I'd bet anyone on the street a hundred dollars that everything will go through just fine."

"Well, I, for one, wouldn't be stupid enough to take that bet," remarked Paul, confident that everything would work out just fine. 


	37. Chapter 37

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

When Daniel asked if he could sleep over at the Greers that night, Diane and Paul couldn't say no. And so it was that, for the second time, Daniel stayed in one of Quentin and Kathleen's spare bedrooms. Though she knew that he was really too old for such things, Kathleen couldn't resist tucking him in that night. Before she did, he gave her a big hug.

"I can't wait until I live here all the time," he told her.

"Neither can I. Quentin and I will be counting the days." Kathleen gave him a kiss on the forehead. "I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you, too."

The words made tears instantly spring to the woman's eyes. She smiled them away and tucked the boy in. She joined her husband in the kitchen and wrapped her arms around him.

"I can't believe how happy I am," she said. "We should have done this months ago."

"I know what you mean. I feel like I'm floating on Cloud Nine." He looked toward the hallway, down which the child he adored lay in a room that would soon be his permanently.

"Are you going to call your mom tomorrow?"

"Yes. If I waited any longer, I'd never hear the end of it when she found out that I'd delayed giving her the news. What about your parents?"

"I'll be calling them tomorrow as well. Mom is going to be so happy. You do realize that they will be demanding that we spend either Thanksgiving or Christmas with them so that they can meet Daniel."

"Oh, yes. And my mother will be asking us to bring him to New York as soon as possible."

Kathleen grinned. "We'll let Daniel tell Jack that they're going to be cousins. I bet Jack will be delighted. He's taken quite a shine to Daniel."

Quentin went to the dining table and took a seat. "I've been wondering if we should contact Daniel's grandfather and tell him. I know that, legally, he doesn't have a say in Daniel's future, but I think it's only right that he knows that his grandson is being adopted."

"Do you think he'll even care?" Kathleen asked, a note of disapproval in her voice. Then she sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It just bothers me that he seems to care so little about the fate of his own grandchild. It's been almost a year since Daniel's parents died, and he hasn't come to see the boy since the funeral."

"I know. It bothers me, too. But I still think we should contact him. I can probably manage to get his address. And there is another reason to contact him as well. Daniel has no photos of his parents, nothing at all of theirs except that old book about Egyptian history and mythology. I don't think that's right. Daniel should have photos and other things to remember them by. All their things were likely sent to Nick. I want to ask him to give some of them to Daniel."

"That's a good idea. Daniel _should_ have some of them."

At bedtime, when, upon exiting the bathroom, Kathleen didn't find Quentin in their bedroom, she knew right where he was. She went to the room where Daniel was sleeping and looked inside. Her husband was sitting on the floor beside the bed, his eyes on the child lying there. She walked up to him and silently sat beside him on the floor. He put an arm around her, and they both just stared at Daniel for a long moment.

"As hokey as it may sound, every time I think about the fact that he may soon be ours, I want to shout it from some rooftop somewhere," Quentin murmured at last. "I know that I should curb my feelings until we're more certain that we'll get approval, but I can't help myself."

Kathleen laid her head on his shoulder. "I know just how you feel." Kathleen paused for a long moment before speaking her next words. "Now that we've made the commitment to do this, I regret that we didn't decide to go for adoption years ago, after it became clear that having one of our own might never happen. I just didn't want to give up on the hope that I'd have a baby, and adopting would have seemed like we were giving up on that hope."

Quentin tightened the arm around his wife's waist and looked down at her. "It isn't really giving up, you know. I've heard of cases in which couples who have tried for years to have a baby suddenly get pregnant after they've adopted a child. It happens."

"I know."

The teacher returned his gaze to Daniel. "I don't regret that we didn't adopt before now. You know why? Because, if we had, we might not be adopting Daniel. Who knows how already having a child would have affected things." He paused. "I had a weird dream last night."

Kathleen looked up at him. "What was it?"

"I dreamed that we never met Daniel, that he spent the rest of his childhood in foster care, being bounced from home to home, never having a real family. He grew up feeling like he didn't belong anywhere, that he was alone in the world. He succeeded academically, going to college, getting degrees and doctorates, but he didn't have love, a family to care about him. That dream really shook me, especially when I thought about how easily it could have actually happened."

"Well, it _didn't_ happen. We _did_ meet Daniel, and he will not grow up feeling alone and like he doesn't belong anywhere. He belongs here with us."

Quentin smiled and kissed his wife. "Yes, he does."

They got up off the floor. Before heading off to bed, Quentin placed a soft kiss on Daniel's brow.

"Good night, Danny," he whispered, thinking ahead to the day he'd be able to call the child "Son".

* * *

Breakfast the next morning was a happy affair. Kathleen fixed waffles with strawberries on top, and Daniel stuff himself silly with them. Afterwards, when Quentin said that he needed to get the boy back home, Daniel objected.

"Can't I stay with you today?" he asked.

Quentin ruffled his hair. "We'd both love that, Danny, but we have things to do regarding the adoption."

"How long will it take before you can adopt me?"

"Well, there are different steps that have to be taken, and we're not sure how long it will take for everything to be finalized, but you'll be able to come live with us before then. Between that time and the finalization, we'll be like foster parents. Mrs. Merrick is going to try to get things taken care of as quickly as possible since your foster mother's baby is due to be born in December, and they want to get you out of there well before then."

"Because the Underwoods aren't allowed to have more than four kids."

"Well, in a way. If all the kids were theirs, they could have as many as they wanted. Up until now, they've been allowed to have four foster children, but, now that your foster mom is going to have a baby of her own, Social Services cut it down to three foster kids that they can have. That's why they couldn't keep you anymore."

Daniel nodded, having been told that by Diane and Paul.

"I know it'll seem like a long wait, Danny. It will for us, too, but, before you know it, you'll be coming to live with us, and we'll be a family."

Daniel wrapped his arms around the big man's waist, eager for that day to come.

After taking Daniel to the Underwoods, Kathleen and Quentin had their appointment with Lucy Merrick. As they talked, Quentin mentioned his idea about contacting Daniel's grandfather and his reasons for doing so.

Lucy nodded. "Though, as you said, Mister Ballard does not have any legal right to approve or disprove of the adoption, I do agree that it would only be right to let him know. When you do so is up to you, though it would be wise to wait until you've gotten approval and Daniel is living with you. I would advise caution, however, if Mister Ballard expresses the desire to meet you. Given certain . . . facts about him, I am unsure if such a meeting, especially if it involved Daniel, would be a good idea."

Quentin frowned. "Facts?"

"There are some questions about Mister Ballard's mental stability. He has made some claims that, to say the least, would seem to be quite insane."

The teacher and his wife exchanged a glance. The last thing they wanted was to have a mentally unstable grandfather coming here and upsetting Daniel. Perhaps it would be best to wait to contact him.

That evening, Quentin called his mother to tell her about the adoption. She was so happy that she started crying right over the phone.

"Oh, Quentin," Annabelle Greer said. "I am so happy to hear this. You simply _must_ bring Daniel here so that I can meet him."

"We probably couldn't do that until he's living with us, Mom, but, as soon as it's possible, we will. Kathleen and I were thinking that, if we could get everyone together for Thanksgiving, both you and her parents, it would be a great time for all of you to meet Daniel. And if we could have Thanksgiving here, then we could do that even if Danny isn't living with us by then, although we're really hoping he will be."

"Well, you know that I don't like to travel, but if it's to meet my future grandson, then I will."

After Quentin hung up, it was Kathleen's turned to call her parents, who were both equally as thrilled by the news and made the same demand to meet Daniel. Kathleen told them about the idea to have Thanksgiving dinner there in Rome, and her mom and dad were all for it.

Quentin let out a chuckle after Kathleen disconnected the call.

"Poor Daniel is going to be overwhelmed this Thanksgiving," he said. "It might be a good idea if we severely limit the number of visiting relatives, perhaps have some of them come for Christmas instead."

Kathleen nodded in agreement. "Last Thanksgiving, Jack said something about coming here again this year. If he can still do that, he needs to be on the guest list. Daniel took quite a shine to him."

"Yes, no doubt because Jack is still a kid on the inside. Speaking of Jack, we need to arrange for Daniel to talk to him and give him the news."

"I was thinking that we could do that this weekend. Now that he's in flight school, it may be a little harder to contact him." Kathleen wrapped her arm's around her husband's waist. "A part of me feels like I'm dreaming."

"I know what you mean. I keep wanting to pinch myself to make sure it's all real."

That weekend, Kathleen placed the call to a certain Air Force lieutenant, a very excited Daniel standing at her side.

"Kitty Kat!" Jack greeted cheerfully. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" He paused, the tone of his voice changing. "It's nothing serious, I hope."

"No, not at all. We have some news for you, but I'm going to let someone else be the one to tell you." Kathleen handed the phone to Daniel.

"Hi, Jack!" the boy said.

"Hey! Daniel! How's it going, buddy?"

"Great! Guess what?"

"What?"

"Mister and Mrs. Greer are going to adopt me!"

There was a short pause. "They are? Wow. That is so fantastic!"

"Yeah. We'll be cousins then!"

Jack laughed. "We sure will be, and I can't think of anybody I'd rather have for a cousin. I bet you're really excited."

"Uh huh. I can't wait till I get to move in with them." Daniel looked up at the two people smiling down at him. "They said that, when they adopt me, I could call them Mom and Dad."

Jack's voice softened. "That will be wonderful, Danny. Is it okay if I talked to Kat for a while?"

"Okay." Daniel gave the phone to his future mother.

"So, adoption, huh?" Jack said to her.

"Yes. I'll explain the whole thing to you another time."

"Well, I don't think I have to tell you that I'm glad. I've thought for a while now that you should adopt, and Daniel is a terrific kid."

Kathleen brushed her hand through Daniel's hair, smiling at him lovingly. "Yes, he is. Quentin and I couldn't be happier about the whole thing."

They talked for a couple more minutes, then Kathleen gave the phone back to Daniel. He chatted happily to the lieutenant about the adoption and things that had happened since their last conversation on Daniel's birthday.

"Are you still going to come here for Thanksgiving?" Daniel asked.

"Are you kidding? Now that you're going to be my cousin, you'd better believe it! I need to welcome you into the family face to face, kiddo."

A little while later, Jack said he had to go, and the two of them said goodbye. Daniel hung up with a smile on his face, thinking that it was going to be so neat to have Jack as his cousin.

* * *

It was three weeks before the end of summer vacation that Jacob and Laura sat down to discuss Sam's schooling. If they followed the advice of the school, they would be putting her in the sixth grade. Sam, of course, would flatly refuse unless Daniel would be doing the same. There was also the issue of the difficulties it would cause Mark, who would likely suffer even more teasing.

The Carters decided that they should get together with the Underwoods and Greers to talk about the whole thing. Arranging babysitters for both the Carter children and the Underwood's foster kids on the same day and time proved to be challenging, but they managed to do it and all met at the Greer home.

"I guess the first question to ask is what the plan is for Daniel," Jacob said.

"We've talked with Quentin and Kathleen about that," Paul responded. "Since they will be adopting Daniel, we thought that they should have a say in it. Plus, Quentin is Daniel's tutor."

"Though, obviously, putting Daniel in the sixth grade would be beneficial academically," the teacher said, "there can be psychological problems when you have a child in a class in which all his fellow classmates are several years older. It is something that's done quite often with gifted children when there is no special program or school available in the area, but, to be honest, I think that, quite often, it is a mistake. You need to consider the personality and emotions of the child. Is he or she mature enough to handle it? In some ways, Daniel is mature well beyond his years, but, emotionally, the death of his parents and other things he went through are still affecting him. If he was to go into the sixth grade, he'd be going to class with twelve and thirteen-year-olds. Knowing Daniel as I do, I think that would be pretty tough on him. There's also the fact that Daniel would struggle with sixth grade math and science and would need quite a bit of help with them."

"So, you think that he'd be more comfortable in the fifth grade?" Laura asked.

Quentin nodded. "The thing to consider is that this is not something that has to be done now or never. In another year, Daniel will be ten and far more emotionally healed from his parents' death. If, at that time, Kathleen and I feel that he is ready for it, we might choose to put him in seventh grade instead of sixth. But, as it stands now, I think that skipping yet another grade would be a mistake. Daniel's already jumped three grades over the span of eight months."

"I think he's right," Diane said. "I think that Daniel would be miserable in sixth grade."

Jacob and Laura glanced at each other.

"We're actually kind of happy to hear you say that," the captain admitted. "Laura and I have some big reservations about putting Sam in the sixth grade. Obviously, she doesn't have a traumatic past like Daniel does, but neither of us think that she'd be happy in that grade." He smiled. "And since she'd fight us tooth and nail if we tried to put her in a grade that Daniel wasn't in, whatever grade he goes into is what we're going to pick for her. Of course, there's the concern that they won't be put in the same classroom."

"I can talk to the school about that," Quentin told him. "It's worked out well having them in the same class, so I'm sure that they'll see the benefit to keeping it that way."

"So, fifth grade, then? Does Social Services have a say in this with Daniel?"

Diane was the one who answered. "Since this isn't a case of sending him to a different school, it's our decision to make, although we will be letting his caseworker know."

The children were informed of the decision right away. Both Sam and Daniel were glad. Neither one of them really wanted to go into the sixth grade. Mark was also delighted to learn that his baby sister wouldn't be in the same grade as him.

A few days later, Daniel was surprised to receive an invitation from Mark to his birthday party, the older boy explaining that, since he was at Daniel's birthday party, Daniel should be at his. Daniel accepted the invitation, although he was a little concerned. All the other kids there would be older, and he was worried that some of them would tease him.

That same day, he also received another invitation, the second one coming from the Greers, who invited the boy to spend all day Saturday with them in Syracuse. Sam and Mark were invited as well, the former accepting while the latter declined.

There was a very important reason for the planned day of fun. It would be the one-year anniversary of the death of Daniel's parents, and everyone was desperately hoping that the boy wouldn't realize that fact. The plan was to jam-pack the day with as much fun as possible to keep all thoughts of his parents away.

The plan succeeded, Daniel and Sam having a blast with the Greers, who had just as much fun. They returned to Rome that evening, tired but happy.

Mark's birthday party took place the next day. Daniel was very nervous when he arrived at the Carters, his gift to Mark clutched in his hands. He was let in by Jacob, who smiled and told him that the party was happening in the backyard.

As soon as Daniel set foot in the yard, several of the other kids there began staring at him. He recognized some of them from school. Seeing a table with other presents on it, he walked over to it, trying to ignore the looks.

"Hey, Daniel. I'm glad you came."

Daniel turned to see Mark coming toward him.

Daniel glanced at the other kids. "Is it really okay for me to be here?"

"Sure it is." Noticing the direction of Daniel's gaze, he looked over at his shoulder. "Just ignore them. It's my birthday, so I can invite anybody I want to." He grinned. "Besides, you're almost like my little brother."

Daniel's eyes lit up. "I am?"

"Sure. And brothers stick up for each other. Right?"

Daniel grinned brightly. "Right."

Despite his misgivings, Daniel did end up having fun at the party. After a few minutes, most of the other kids accepted his presence, some of them even inviting him to join in on activities. Mark made sure that the younger boy didn't feel isolated or out of place, which made Jacob feel proud of his eldest child. Mark had matured a great deal during the past year. Not only that, he had also learned to focus less on himself and more on others. He was growing up. In another year, he'd be in junior high, a big step closer to high school, then college.

The party was just about over when Laura and Sam returned from what the woman had dubbed, "Girls day out." Though Mark had been generous enough to invite Daniel to the party, inviting his kid sister was another matter. But then, since Mark had not been invited to Sam's birthday party, Jacob couldn't really complain, even if Sam had wanted to be at the party, which she didn't. Instead, Laura took her daughter into town, and the two of them had fun shopping and doing other "girl stuff".

Daniel was in the house when the two got back, and the best friends greeted each other happily.

"Did you have fun at the party?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. At first, the other kids stared at me, but it was okay after a while. Some of the kids even listened when I told them all about what it's like to work on a dig. They thought it was cool that I got to help excavate artifacts."

Daniel was invited to stay for dinner. Over the meal, one of the topics of conversation was the return to school. The adults kept it positive, asking the kids what friends they were looking forward to seeing and what school activities they were eager to resume. It was no surprise that what Daniel was most looking forward to was the resumption of his tutoring by Quentin. Sam was eager to see what new things she'd learn in science, particularly, the experiments they'd be doing. She was hoping that their new teacher would agree to make her and Daniel lab and study partners again.

The remaining days of summer vacation passed far too quickly for the kids. The first day of school brought the usual cases of nerves for Daniel and Sam, specifically about their new teacher and the kids who would be in their class.

Mrs. Lynn Montgomery was a small, dark-haired woman in her early forties who welcomed the two nine-year-olds warmly. She told them that she was looking forward to being their teacher. After introducing herself to the class, she warned all the kids that she didn't abide laziness and expected each and every one of them to do their best at all times. She also said that if any one of them had trouble understanding something or problems with an assignment, they should not keep quite about it and should come to her.

And so started Daniel and Sam's first day in the fifth grade. Mrs. Montgomery did not waste any time giving them more advanced work for the areas in which they excelled, which pleased the two kids.

At lunch time, Daniel was happy to see both Caleb and Adam in the cafeteria. Both boys had started kindergarten, Adam having turned six in June. He asked them how they liked school so far, and they both said that their teacher was really nice, and it was fun doing all the games and crafts. Daniel had never gone to kindergarten, so he was interested in finding out what it was like. As far as he was concerned, it sounded a lot more like playing than real schoolwork.

Caleb and Adam weren't the only ones experiencing something new that day. Diane was adjusting to having only one child in the house, the place feeling too quiet and empty to her. She told herself that she should enjoy it while it lasted. In just a few more months, peace and quiet would be in short supply.

Thinking about that made her reach a hand down to rest over her belly. She was almost five months along in the pregnancy and was just starting to show, the tiny hump in a tummy that had been flat a joyful testament to the life that lay within it. She was looking forward to when she could proudly display her swollen stomach to the whole world and visibly join the ranks of the many other pregnant women whom she had long envied.

Caleb, Adam and Susy had all been told that, come December, they'd be getting a new baby brother or sister. This had required that Diane and Paul explain a bit about the facts of life to the two younger kids. Adam had already known that babies grew inside the tummies of their mommies, but it was news to Susy, who, from then on, had been continually coming up to Diane and touching her stomach, asking all kinds of things about the baby inside, like how could it see inside there, what did it eat, did it have to take naps like she did, and, most amusing of all, if it had any toys to play with in there. When Diane explained that, no, there were no toys in there, Susy generously offered to share some of hers with it.

After class, Daniel went home with Quentin for the resumption of the boy's tutoring. The teacher had been concerned that, now that he and his wife were in the process of adopting Daniel, Child Welfare would say that it would be best to temporarily halt the tutoring, but Lucy had been quick to assure him that such would not be the case.

Everything was going well in the adoption process, the fact that Quentin and Kathleen already had an established relationship with Daniel working in their favor. There would be no question of compatibility. And, as Lucy had already told the couple, Quentin being a teacher was another big plus, Social Services recognizing that, for a child with Daniel's advanced intellect, no better family could be found for him than one in which one of the parents was not only an educator, but was also the very man who was tutoring the boy. The Greers were ideal parents for Daniel, the kind of match that most Child Welfare workers could only dream of finding. Quentin and Kathleen knew that Lucy Merrick had been putting in a lot extra hours to move things along quickly, and they were deeply grateful to her.

"So, how was your first day back at school?" Quentin asked the boy as they drove to the teacher's place.

"It was good. Some of the kids in class stared at me and Sam, but it wasn't so bad."

"Do you think that you'll like Mrs. Montgomery?"

"I think so. She gave us advanced work right away, which was great."

"Mrs. Montgomery is a good teacher. She's tough, though. She expects a lot from her students, no lollygagging around. But you and Sam are good students, so you'll do fine in her class."

The first thing Daniel did once they were situated in the library was to show the teacher how much Italian he'd learned. He had continued to spend some time learning the language during the summer and was now quite fluent in it. Quentin proudly praised him.

"So, what language would you like to learn next?" he asked with a smile.

"I was thinking about Mandarin Chinese because Sam's uncle Aaron knows it, but then I saw a program on TV about Russia, and I decided to learn Russian first."

"Russian, huh? Well, I think that's an excellent choice."

"Mister Greer? When you adopt me, will you still be my tutor?"

"Well, I'll still be tutoring you, but I wouldn't be called your tutor anymore."

"Because you'll be my dad."

Quentin gave him a big smile. "Yeah."

Daniel gave him a hug. "I can't wait for you to be my dad."

The teacher returned the embrace. "Neither can I, Daniel. It'll be one of the happiest days of my life."


	38. Chapter 38

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Summer slipped into autumn, the weather gradually growing cooler. The arrival of fall also marked a very special occasion, the anniversary of the day that Daniel and Sam met. On that day, Daniel was invited over to the Carter home for a little "anniversary party" at the insistence of Sam, who was not going to let the one-year anniversary of meeting her best friend go by without some kind of celebration.

The two kids were doing excellently in fifth grade and weren't having problems with any of their classmates. They'd both made some new friends, one of whom was a ten-year-old fifth-grader named Erica who shared Sam's love of science.

Daniel was a little jealous about all the time Sam spent chatting with the girl, but Sam had learned her lesson about jealousy and made an effort to include him in many of the conversations. Erica, who'd never had a friendship with a boy before, was surprised and puzzled by the bond shared by the two best friends.

"How come Daniel is your best friend?" she asked Sam one day when Daniel wasn't around.

"He just is. When we first met, I didn't really have any friends, and he didn't either. His mom and dad had just died, so he was really sad, and he didn't talk."

"Not at all?"

Sam shook her head. She smiled brightly. "I was the very first person he started talking to."

"Will you always be best friends?"

"Yeah. He'll be my best friend forever."

Erica frowned slightly, but Sam didn't notice.

"Would you like to come over to my house on Saturday?" she asked. "I have a big playhouse."

"Really? That would be fun. Can Daniel come, too?"

"Boys don't like playing in playhouses. He'd probably be bored."

Sam thought about it and agreed to come over, explaining that she'd have to get permission from her parents first. When she asked them that evening, they said yes.

Sam enjoyed the Saturday with Erica, though they only spent a little time in the playhouse. It turned out that Erica also had a chemistry set, and the two girls spent hours playing with it.

During the lunch break on Monday, Erica steered the conversation to Sam's day at her house, going on and on about how much fun they had. Daniel felt jealous and a little hurt that Sam hadn't asked if he'd like to join them, although he didn't really think he would have had all that much fun playing in a playhouse and with a chemistry set.

"Mom and Dad said that you could come to our house again next Saturday," Erica said to Sam.

Daniel almost held his breath. Yesterday, he and Sam had gotten together to do some studying for a math test that was coming up, and they made plans to go roller skating at the rink next Saturday. Would Sam now back out on that to play with Erica again?

"Thanks, but me and Daniel are going roller skating," Sam said, pleasing the boy.

Erica frowned and pouted at the same time. "Couldn't you do that another day?"

"No, we already planned it."

"Then maybe I could join you."

Sam looked at Daniel. "Would that be okay if she came with us?"

"Um, yeah, I guess," Daniel replied, although he would really rather have spent the day just with Sam.

"Great!" Erica said, giving Daniel a brief look that he couldn't quite name.

During the lunch break on the following day, Erica asked Sam if she'd like to play after school.

"I can't," Sam said. "Daniel's coming over to my house so that we can study more for the math test. There's a teacher's meeting today, so he won't be going to Mister Greer's house."

"There's still lots of time to study for the test," Erica said in objection. "Why do you have to study together anyway?"

Daniel spoke up. "Sam's my study partner. She helps me with math and science, and I help her with history and some social studies stuff."

Sam nodded. "We're lab partners, too. Mrs. Montgomery lets us do all the science experiments in class together."

"Too bad I'm not in your class. Then I could be your lab partner, too. I'm good with history. Maybe _I_ could help you with it sometimes."

Now, it was Daniel who was frowning. He didn't want this girl to be helping Sam with history. _He_ was Sam's study partner, not Erica.

"Thanks, but Daniel is really super smart with history," Sam responded. "English and spelling, too. He knows more history stuff than any other kid in the whole school. He's the best study partner ever."

The praise made Daniel beam while bringing yet another frown to Erica's face. She didn't say much of anything for the rest of the lunch break.

As Saturday grew progressively closer, Daniel's enthusiasm for the day at the roller rink continually waned, his excitement not nearly as high as it would have been if a certain ten-year-old wasn't going to be there. At every lunch break, it seemed like Erica was always trying to draw Sam's attention away from Daniel and toward her. On Thursday, she again invited Sam to come play with her after school, and, this time, Sam said yes since Daniel was going to be going to Mister Greer's house for his tutoring. It was the first time that Daniel was wishing that he wasn't going to the teacher's house so that he could have asked Sam to come play with _him_ after school instead of Erica. He kept telling himself that he shouldn't be jealous, but it felt like Erica was trying to take Sam's friendship away from him, and that hurt.

It didn't take long for Quentin to see that something was really bothering Daniel that Thursday. He sat beside the boy and asked what was wrong.

"I think Erica wants to be Sam's new best friend," Daniel said.

Quentin had heard the name before, Daniel having mentioned the girl a couple of weeks ago. "Why do you say that?"

"Because she's always asking Sam to play with her after school and on Saturdays, and, at every lunch break, she wants Sam to talk with her and not me."

Quentin studied the boy, wondering if this was a simple case of jealousy making Daniel blow things out of proportion or if there was really something to what he was saying. The man asked for more details, and Daniel told him about everything that had been going on, including Erica's two attempts to get Sam to cancel plans with him and her suggestion that she could be the one to help Sam with history. By the time Daniel was finished, the teacher had decided that maybe the boy was right about Erica.

"Well, Daniel. As I see it, you can do one of two things."

"What's that?"

"You can just stand back and do nothing or you can fight back."

"How do I fight back?"

"By not letting Erica push herself in between you and Sam. Sam probably doesn't realize what's going on. I bet if she did, she wouldn't let it happen. It's okay for Erica to want to be Sam's friend, but it's _not_ okay for her to try pushing you out of the way. You need to stand up to her. When she tries to draw Sam's attention away from you, don't let her. If she tries again to make Sam cancel plans with you, hold firm to those plans. Do you think you can do that?"

Daniel thought about it and nodded, determination taking hold. He and Sam had been best friends for a whole year, and he wasn't going to let Erica come between them.

The following day, when Erica joined them for lunch and yet again began her campaign to monopolize Sam's attention, Daniel heeded Quentin's advice. Every time that the girl tried to exclude him from the conversation, he jumped right back in, even when the topic of discussion was something of a scientific nature. He even took it a step further and managed to steer the conversation toward Egypt and other cultures with which he was familiar, talking about interesting things he'd seen and done in places like the Yucatan and Peru. As always, Sam loved listening to his tales of those faraway places.

If she had really been paying attention, Sam would have seen the jealousy and anger on Erica's face every time Daniel succeeded in pulling Sam's attention toward him. But she was oblivious to the battle that was being waged over her.

The next day, Daniel and Sam met at the boy's house and rode their bikes to the roller rink. Daniel was not happy when he saw that Erica was already there, having hoped that he and Sam would make it out on the rink before the other girl arrived.

Erica already had her skates on, and Sam was faster getting hers on than Daniel was. The instant Sam finished lacing up, Erica was pulling her out onto the rink. By the time that Daniel got there, the girls were halfway around. He waited off to the side for them to come the rest of the way around so that he wouldn't have to catch up to them, but when Erica saw him standing there, she drew Sam toward the middle of the rink, where she showed the younger girl some tricks she'd learned. Not about to let Erica have that victory, Daniel went out onto the rink and joined them, coming to a stop right beside his friend. He watched Erica for a few minutes as she showed off, then he asked Sam to come join him. Sam readily agreed. Telling Erica that she was going to go back to skating, she merged into the crowd of skaters with him, not seeing the scowl that formed on the older girl's face.

After a couple of minutes, Erica joined the two best friends and started to chat, yet again attempting to draw Sam's attention toward her, but Daniel was having none of that and inserted himself into the conversation.

The battle of wills had been going on for around twenty minutes when all of the guys were asked to leave the rink, it being the time for girls only. Reluctantly, Daniel left and found a table, where he sat and watched Sam and Erica skate. What made him feel better was that, every time they passed him, Sam smiled and waved at him.

As soon as the girls only skating ended, he was right back out on the rink, rejoining his best friend and the girl against whom he was battling.

The three of them skated for another half-hour, then stopped to have a soda and French fries, where the 'war' continued, Erica refusing to give up on her plans to make Sam like her better than Daniel. But the boy held firm, taking advantage of his year of friendship with Sam and talking about the things they'd done together, Sam eagerly joining in. They eventually got onto the subject of Bud Whitman and the day he beat up Daniel and broke Sam's arm. Erica took the opportunity to talk about the time that her leg was broken when she fell off a horse, but Daniel countered by leading the conversation to the horseback riding they did during their vacation on the beach.

Erica's biggest mistake came when she began talking about the time that she saved a cat that was stuck up a tree. Her goal was to impress Sam, but it backfired when it led to Sam recounting the day that Daniel risked his life to save Kenny from his abusive father, going on and on about him being a big hero and getting his name in the papers. Normally, Daniel would have been embarrassed by this, but he could tell by the sour look on Erica's face that she was not at all happy, the girl knowing that pulling a cat out of a tree couldn't come close to competing with what Daniel had done.

The three kids had just finished eating when the announcement was made for couples only skating. Normally, Daniel wouldn't have dreamed of inviting Sam out onto the rink since he would have been far too embarrassed to do so, but this would be his chance to skate alone with her.

"Would you like to skate with me?" he asked her, a hint of a blush on his cheeks.

Surprised, Sam stared at him for a moment, then shyly agreed. Erica watched them go out onto the rink, the sour expression returning.

The boy and girl didn't talk as they made their way around the rink. All of the others were adults and teens, so they felt rather out of place, but Daniel wasn't going to let that stop him, his battle to remain Sam's best friend giving him new courage. In fact, as they passed Erica for the second time, he let that courage take him even further and slipped his hand into Sam's. Very surprised by the move, she looked at their joined hands, then at him.

"I'm glad that we're best friends," he said quietly.

That made Sam smile. "Me too."

"We'll always be best friends, right?"

"Sure we will, best friends forever."

The two children shared a smile, their hands remaining linked.

By the time that couples only skating ended, Erica was pretty much stewing in her own juices. When Daniel and Sam returned to the table, she suggested that they do something else, like go to the park. Sam decided that they'd skated enough and asked if that was okay with Daniel. He agreed, though he had to wonder what form the war would take on the new battlefield.

The kids rode their bikes to the park and went to the playground. There were three swings available, and the boy and two girls took them, Daniel and Erica sitting on either side of Sam.

Daniel had never had much of an interest in swinging high, but when Sam and Erica began doing so, he decided that, this time, he wasn't going to be left behind. He began pumping his legs harder and was soon equaling them. Sam was thrilled and started laughing, smiling broadly at Daniel each time they passed each other on their arcs.

"Let's try to swing together!" she called to him.

"Okay!"

Sam slowed the speed of her swinging, then, at the proper time, began speeding back up, gradually matching her arc with Daniel's. When they reached perfect synchronicity, they both laughed, their eyes on each other, Erica all but forgotten. Not giving up, Erica matched her own swinging to theirs.

"Hey, Sam! Now, it's all three of us!" she cried.

Sam looked over at her. "Yeah!"

The three kids swung together for a few more minutes, then went over to the merry-go-round, joining the other children there. Because of the presence of the other kids, Daniel and Erica's battle was put on hold for as long as they were on the merry-go-round. It resumed ten minutes later when they went to the jungle gym. Daniel had little experience on the bars, whereas Erica was quite adept and was soon showing off again. She told Sam that she could teach the younger girl how to do the fancier things, and Sam took her up on the offer.

Being older, Erica was taller and had a longer reach, making some of the things fairly easy for her but more dangerous for Sam. When, at one point, Sam lost her grip, Daniel got worried. He chose to get off the jungle gym and just watch. Erica considered this a victory, not realizing that the boy was actually preparing himself to catch Sam if she fell.

The two girls had been on the bars for several minutes when, at Erica's urging, Sam tried something that she was not skilled enough to do. She lost her grip again and would have fallen if Daniel hadn't leaped forward and grabbed her. A bit shaken, Sam got her hands back on the bars and climbed down.

"Are you okay?" Daniel asked once her feet were on the ground.

Sam nodded. "I would have fallen if you hadn't caught me."

Not having seen what happened, Erica called from the top of the jungle gym. "Why did you stop?"

"Because I almost fell," Sam replied. "Daniel had to catch me."

"You should try again. I bet you'll be able to do it next time."

"I don't think she should," Daniel said. "If she fell, she could really get hurt." He looked at his best friend. "Please don't try again, Sam. I'm afraid you'll fall and get hurt."

"Oh, don't be a baby, Daniel," Erica said.

A flash of anger made Sam turn to the older girl. "He's not being a baby." She returned her gaze to Daniel. "Come on. Let's go back to the swings."

They returned to the swings, where Erica joined them a couple of minutes later.

"I'm sorry I called Daniel a baby," the girl said, aiming the apology at Sam rather than the one to whom she should have apologized. Daniel doubted that she was being sincere.

"Let's go get some ice cream," Erica then suggested.

"I don't have any more money with me," Sam said.

"Me neither," said Daniel.

"That's okay," Erica responded, seeing her chance to score lots of points with Sam. "I'll buy them. Mom and Dad give me a big allowance."

"I can't," Daniel said. "I need to get home. It's my foster parents' anniversary today, and they're going to dinner and a concert in Albany. I promised that I'd be home before they leave."

Erica smiled. "But Sam and I can get ice cream. Come on, Sam. We can get banana splits."

Sam hesitated. It wouldn't be as much fun without Daniel, but a banana split sounded really good.

Daniel was torn. He had a feeling that the only reason why Erica was being so generous was because she wanted Sam to like her better than him, but he knew that Sam really liked banana splits.

"You should go, Sam," he finally said. "You can get strawberry and chocolate on it, just like you like it."

"But it's not fair that you can't come, too."

"That's okay. We can have ice cream together another time."

"Well . . . okay."

"Great!" Erica said, crowing on the inside.

They went to their bikes, and Daniel said goodbye. Sam and Erica rode off in the opposite direction to a nearby ice cream parlor.

Over the banana splits, Erica chatted away happily, delighted that Daniel was no longer there.

"Hey! I've got a great idea," she suddenly said. "We could have a slumber party!"

"A slumber party?"

"Yeah, just me and you."

"You mean tonight?"

"Uh huh. My parents won't mind."

"Um, I'd have to ask permission from my mom and dad."

"Can you call them?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

After they were done with their ice cream, they went to a pay phone, and Sam called home. When she told her mom about Erica's invitation for a sleepover, Laura asked about Daniel.

"He had to go home. It's his foster parents' anniversary today, and they're going to a concert."

"I see. Would it be just you and Erica?"

"Yeah."

"I guess that would be all right as long as it's okay with her parents."

"She said it would be."

"All right, then. You need to be home by eleven tomorrow."

"I will be. Thanks, Mom."

Sam had fun on the sleepover, although it wasn't as much fun as the first time that Daniel stayed over at her house. They stayed up till midnight, watching TV and playing games.

The next morning, after a breakfast of blueberry pancakes, the two girls went out into the backyard, Erica insisting that they had a little bit of time before Sam had to leave. They sat on the swings.

Certain that Sam was coming to like her better than Daniel, the older girl said, "Last night was really fun, wasn't it."

"Uh huh."

"You know what would be even more fun? On Halloween, we could go trick-or-treating together, then you could stay over, and we could watch scary movies, then go to school together in the morning."

Sam shook her head. "I'm going to go trick-or-treating with Daniel. He's never done it before. He couldn't go last year because he got pneumonia a little while before Halloween, and his foster parents didn't want him to be out in the cold. So we all did this really cool haunted tomb in the Greers' house instead and got to scare a bunch of kids."

"Come on, Sam. It'll be lots more fun going with me and watching scary movies afterwards. We could fix popcorn, and s'mores, and turn off all the lights, things like what best friends do."

Sam stared at her, frowning. "You're not my best friend. _Daniel_ is."

"But I could _be_ your best friend. We both like science a lot and could do our science homework together and study for tests together. It would be great."

Sam got up from the swing, starting to get mad. "I told you _Daniel's_ my best friend. We've been best friends for a whole year."

"I bet that we could be even better best friends."

"No we couldn't. I will _never_ have a better best friend than Daniel, not ever." She started walking away. "I'm going home." She went to her bicycle, Erica hurrying after her.

"Okay, then I can be your best _girl_ friend, and Daniel can be your best friend who's a boy," Erica said hastily.

Sam glared at her. "No. I don't want to be your friend at all anymore."

Not saying anything more, she got on her bike and rode away.

* * *

The next day at school, when Sam saw Erica at the lockers, she turned her back on the girl, ignoring her. Every time she thought about what the older girl had said, it made her even madder. By the time the lunch break came, she was wishing that Erica would move away to another state so that Sam wouldn't ever have to see her again.

At lunchtime, when Erica came over to the table where Daniel and Sam sat, intending to patch things up, Sam immediately said, "Go away. I don't want to talk to you anymore. You're not my friend and won't ever be my friend again."

Shocked by her words, Daniel stared at Sam, then at Erica, whose cheeks had flushed pink. Everyone nearby was now staring at the older girl as well.

Humiliated and angry, Erica said, "Fine. I don't want to be your friend either," then stormed away.

Daniel gapped at the departing girl, stunned by the sudden development. He turned back to Sam.

"What happened? Did you have a fight?"

Sam glowered. "She tried to make me _her_ best friend instead of _yours_."

Daniel's gaze fell to his lunch. "I know."

Sam blinked in surprise. "You do?"

Daniel nodded. "I figured it out last week."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew you liked her, and I didn't know if you'd believe me. I was afraid you'd think I was just jealous."

"I would have believed you." Sam paused. "Were you jealous?"

"I was at first, but then I told Mister Greer about it, and he said that I shouldn't let Erica keep trying to come between us, that I should fight back, so I did."

Sam began to smile. "You were fighting over me?"

"Uh huh."

"Wow. Nobody's ever fought over being my friend before. You wouldn't have had to, though. Erica could never have been my best friend instead of you."

The eyes of the two friends met, and they smiled.

For the rest of the week, Erica ignored both Sam and Daniel, eventually turning her attention to another girl, one who was in her class.

The test to Daniel and Sam's friendship had succeeded in strengthening it even more. When they returned to the roller rink the very next Saturday, it was Sam who bridged the gap between them with her hand. Daniel grinned at her, holding on.

After leaving the rink, they went to the ice cream parlor. Neither of them had enough money left to get banana splits, but, to Sam, the ice cream sundae tasted just as good because it was being eaten with her best friend.

Upon leaving the ice cream parlor, they both rode to Daniel's house, so that he could help Sam with their history assignment. Before going to the rink, she had dropped her school books off at Daniel's, and they were now going to do some studying together.

As they sat on the bed, Daniel patiently helping Sam through the dizzying collection of dates and events, she impulsively leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Totally taken by surprise, he stared at her, wide-eyed. Sam blushed and ducked her head.

"How come you kissed me?" the boy asked.

"Because you're so nice and such a terrific friend."

"Oh. I think you're a terrific friend, too."

The two children smiled at each other, then got back to studying, secure in the knowledge that no one would ever be able to come between them.

* * *

It was on a cold, clear Saturday morning, the last Saturday of October, that the Greers knocked on the Underwoods' door. When Diane opened the door and saw their expressions, she knew that something had happened. The faces of the man and woman were glowing with happiness.

Diane smiled. "What is it? What's happened?" She suddenly had a thought and gasped. "Is it. . . ? Did you get the approval?"

The couple let out a happy laugh, nodding.

"Yesterday afternoon," Quentin said. "You have no idea how hard it was for us not to come running over here last night. Mrs. Merrick was going to contact you, but we asked if it would be all right for us to tell you. She'll be arriving in a little while."

"Oh, this is wonderful. Come in, come in! I'll get Daniel."

As Diane hurried off, Quentin and Kathleen settled on the couch, their hands joined.

"Hi!" Daniel greeted happily when he saw them.

Quentin waved him over. "Come here, Daniel."

The boy came to stand in front of them, and they took his hands.

"Daniel, we have another question for you." The teacher paused, then grinned. "How would you like to come move in with us today?"

Daniel's eyes widened. "The adoption's all done?"

"No, but we've received the approval to adopt you. It will still be a while before the adoption is finalized, but you can go ahead and come live with us."

With joy beaming from his face, Daniel threw himself into their arms. Diane watched the embrace with tears of happiness pooling in her eyes. Yes, she was going to miss having Daniel here. She had come to love him dearly. But knowing that he was going to a family he loved and that loved him in return, a family that would be his forever, made everything all right. And it wasn't like they would never see him again. Diane and Paul had developed a good friendship with the Greers, and that friendship would remain.

Daniel ran off to tell Caleb and Adam, both of whom already knew that the Greers were going to adopt him. As he was doing that, Diane gathered some boxes for Daniel's toys, books and other possessions.

Daniel then wanted to call Sam and tell her and her parents, but Quentin suggested that he wait until after he was all moved into his new home and could call her from his new phone number. Daniel liked that idea and agreed to wait.

The packing process began. Paul arrived home halfway through it and was told the happy news.

They were nearly done when Lucy Merrick arrived. She smiled upon seeing how happy Daniel was.

When the boy saw his caseworker, he immediately ran up to her and gave her a hug. "Thank you for letting them adopt me," he said.

Getting a little misty-eyed, Lucy said, "You're very welcome, Daniel."

Leaving the boy to finish packing the last few things, the adults went to the dining room to take care of some paperwork, Diane and Paul handing over all of Daniel's school records and other documents to the Quentin and Kathleen. After everything was taken care of, the Greers accompanied Lucy out to her car.

"So, how do you feel?" the social workers asked them, though she already knew the answer.

"Words can't describe how happy we are," Kathleen answered.

"Daniel certainly looks very happy, too. It's wonderful to see."

"Yes, it is."

The couple wished the grey-haired woman goodbye, then went back inside.

Once the last box was in the Greers' car, Daniel turned to the two people who had been his foster parents for the past thirteen months. He hugged each of them and thanked them for taking care of him. They told him how much they had loved being his foster parents and assured him that they'd all see plenty of each other in the future.

A while later, Daniel and the Greers arrived at the house that would now be Daniel's home. With the adults carrying boxes and the boy a suitcase, then went inside.

"So, Daniel," Quentin said. "Which bedroom do you want to be yours? It's your choice."

Daniel didn't hesitate to pick the one he'd slept two of the three times he'd stayed overnight. It was the larger of the two guest rooms and had a big window looking out onto the backyard.

They got all of Daniel's things into the room, and Kathleen happily began hanging the boy's clothes in the closet as Quentin and Daniel put away his books and other things. Last night, the Greers had gone out and bought a small bookcase for Daniel's books, knowing that he'd need one.

Once all the unpacking was finished, Daniel made the call to the Carters from the phone number that he'd called many times and that would now be his.

"Hi, Captain Carter!" Daniel greeted when the man answered the phone.

"Well, hello, Daniel."

"Guess what!"

"What?"

"Mister and Mrs. Greer got approved to adopt me, and I'm living with them now! We just put all my stuff in my bedroom."

"Oh, Daniel. That's fantastic! I bet you're dying to tell Sam."

"Yeah. Can she come to the phone?"

"You bet. I'll go get her."

Seconds later, Sam was on the phone. When Daniel told her the news, she just about shrieked with delight.

Once the two excited kids stopped talking, they handed the phones over to the two men.

"Congratulations!" Jacob said to Quentin. "I bet you're on the moon right now."

The teacher laughed. "The moon? Kathleen and I overshot it about five seconds after we got the word."

"Well, this calls for a celebration."

"We were thinking the same thing. We would love to have you guys over for dinner tonight. The Underwoods will be here as well."

"Sure. That will be great. What time?"

"Six o'clock. That will give us plenty of time to talk before the kids have to be in bed . . . although I suspect that there will be a certain little boy who isn't going to want to go to bed at the usual time tonight."

Jacob let out a chuckle. "I suspect that you're right."


	39. Chapter 39

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Daniel didn't waste any time writing Kenny a letter. Back when he was told by the Greers that they wanted to adopt him, he'd passed on the news to his friend, and Kenny had sent a happy reply, delighted that Daniel was going to be adopted. Now, he had even more good news for Kenny.

Dinner that evening was enjoyed by all. After the meal, as the kids played, the adults gathered in the living room with wine and beer. Jacob looked over at the child who'd come into their lives as a silent, devastated little boy and who was now a happy, lively kid beginning his life with new, loving parents. The captain was happy and proud of the big part that he and his family had played in that transformation.

The Underwoods left at eight o'clock so that they could get their kids to bed. A short while later, Quentin wandered out onto the front porch. Jacob joined him a couple of minutes later.

"For so long, Kathleen and I prayed for a miracle," the teacher said in a quiet voice, "that a day would come when we'd find out that we were going to have a baby. Each year, it got harder to hold onto that hope. If we had only known that the miracle that would come into our lives wasn't going to be a baby, but an eight-year-old little boy who needed us as much as we needed him. I know that there will be bumps in the road, just like there is with all families, but, no matter how long I live, I will never be able to express my gratitude for being given the privilege and joy of becoming Daniel's father."

Jacob rested a hand on Quentin's shoulder. "I understand how you feel, Quentin. Out of all the things I'm grateful for, Laura and my kids are at the top of the list. I think about how many ways there are that this could have turned out differently. If Daniel had been sent to a different city, if I had been transferred to a different post, if Sam hadn't befriended him, if he had been put in the other second grade class. If any of those things had happened, it could have resulted in everything not turning out so well. But then, I guess that's the way most things in life are." He patted the shoulder beneath his hand. "But this really isn't the time for thinking about what-ifs, especially not sad ones. Come on. Let's go back inside. It's cold out here."

The Carters left an hour later, though Sam complained loudly about it. Quentin and Kathleen cheered her up by promising that, soon, she could come spend a weekend there.

Just as Quentin predicted, Daniel resisted going to bed, claiming that he was too excited to sleep. The couple let him stay up an hour past his usual bedtime, figuring that the excitement of the day would catch up to him soon.

They were all sitting on the couch, watching TV, when Daniel said, "Mister and Mrs. Greer?"

Quentin looked down at him. Seeing the boy's body language, which was telling the teacher that this was a serious matter, he motioned to Kathleen to turn off the TV.

"Yes, Daniel?" Quentin said as his wife got up and turned the television off. She settled right back down on the sofa and waited with him for the child to speak.

"You haven't really adopted me, yet, right?"

"Yes, that's right. We've just been given the approval to adopt you. When the time comes that the process is all done, we'll all go before a judge, and it will be made final, and you will legally be our son."

"How long will that be?"

"Just a few more months, not long at all."

Daniel's gaze lifted to his. "Would it be okay if I went ahead and called you Mom and Dad now?"

Lumps forming in the throats of the two adults, they wrapped their arms around him.

"Yes, Danny," Quentin replied in a voice rough with emotion. "Yes, you can go ahead and call us Mom and Dad now. That would make us very happy."

A short while later, Daniel was in bed, fast asleep, Quentin gazing in on him. In a low voice, the teacher murmured, "Good night . . . Son," then quietly shut the door.

* * *

When Daniel awoke the next morning, a huge smile came to his face. He tossed back the covers and ran down the hall. Seeing both Quentin and Kathleen in the kitchen, he made a beeline for them. Quentin pulled him into a big hug.

"Mmmm. Good morning!" the teacher said, sporting a huge grin of his own. The boy got a second hug and a kiss on the cheek from Kathleen.

Quentin asked if Daniel wanted to help with breakfast, to which the boy said yes. He helped by setting the table and toasting the bread. Over the meal, the three of them talked about the fast-approaching Halloween.

"Are we going to get costumes at the costume place again?" Daniel asked.

"Not this year," Quentin replied. "It's a bit too far to go for just one costume."

"Aren't you dressing up?"

"No, I'll be going as myself, Daniel. Adults usually don't dress in costumes when they take their kids out trick-or-treating."

Daniel gazed at him. "You're going to take me?"

"Of course I am. That's what dads do."

A luminous smile lit Daniel's face. But then he thought of something. "I was going to go with Sam and Captain Carter."

"Well, then how about if all four of us go?"

The smile returned. "Okay. What am I going to wear for a costume? Sam's going as an astronaut."

"Kathleen and I have been putting some thought into that. I think it's going to be too cold for you to wear a pharaoh costume, not to mention the fact that that's how you dressed last year, so how about something else that's Egyptian?"

"Sure! Like what?"

"Oh, we were thinking maybe a mummy. We've still got the wrappings that Captain Carter wore last year."

"Wow! That would be cool!"

"Great! A mummy it is, then."

Daniel resumed eating. As he took his last few bites, he appeared to be deep in thought. He put his fork down.

"Dad?" he inquired, hesitating only a little over the word.

Hearing Daniel call him that made Quentin's heart swell until it felt like it was going to burst right out of his chest.

"Yes, Son?" he responded in kind, then watched a glowing smile light up Daniel's face. The smile then faltered.

"You told me that you wanted kids, but hadn't been able to have any." He paused again. "If you had your own kids, would you still be adopting me?"

Quentin and Kathleen's eyes met for a long moment, then they turned back to the boy.

"I really don't know, Daniel," the teacher answered honestly. "If we'd had children of our own, a whole lot of things would have been different. I may not have spent as much time with you and gotten to know you as well."

"Because you'd have been doing things with your own kids."

"That's right. I can't say for sure what would have happened."

Daniel began playing with his napkin. In a much quieter voice, he asked, "If . . . Mom got pregnant, would you still finish adopting me?"

The smile that had brightened Kathleen's face upon hearing Daniel call her "Mom" instantly vanished.

"Of course we would!" she replied forcefully.

"Daniel, look at me," Quentin commanded. The boy obeyed after a couple of seconds, and the teacher looked into his eyes. "I don't ever want you to think that if we have a baby, that will make us love you less, because that is not so. We love you like you are our own child, and even if Kat had a _dozen_ babies, that would not change. I love you, Danny, very, very much, and so does Kathleen. Nothing will _ever_ change that, not for as long as we live." His gaze intensified. "Are we clear on that?"

Daniel smiled and nodded. He was given a quick, tight hug.

Quentin ruffled his hair playfully. "Well, now that we've got that all straightened out, it's time for you to go get dressed. So, hop to it. We're all going to be going to a matinee this afternoon."

Daniel grinned. "We are?"

"Yep. A double feature."

"Oh, wow!"

The boy ran off to get dressed, secure in the knowledge that his new mom and dad really did love him and would always be his family.

* * *

The day of Halloween soon arrived. Daniel had kept what he was going to wear a secret from Sam, wanting her to be surprised. The plan was to go trick-or-treating at the base housing, so Quentin and Daniel took the drive over there. When they arrived at the Carters' home and went up to the door, Daniel hid behind Quentin, the man's big frame completely hiding him from view. Laura answered the door.

"Quentin! Hello." Laura frowned. "Where's Daniel?"

"Hiding behind me. Could you get Sam? Daniel wants to surprise her."

Laura smiled and called for Sam. The girl came running up dressed in her astronaut costume, except for the helmet.

"Hi, Mister Greer. Where's Daniel?"

The boy suddenly popped out from behind the teacher. He stuck his arms out straight and moaned as he walked stiff-legged toward his friend.

Sam squealed in delight. "A mummy! You look just like Dad did last year."

"They're the same wrappings," Daniel said, his voice a little muffled.

"That's so great!"

Daniel and Quentin came inside. Jacob laughed when he saw how the boy was dressed.

"He looks even better than I did."

Quentin chuckled. "Daniel gave us an education on the proper way to wrap a mummy as we were wrapping him."

"Now, why does that not surprise me?" Jacob looked at the two kids. "So, you guys ready to go trick-or-treating?"

"Yeah!" answered two voices simultaneously.

The two kids had a ball trick-or-treating. At every door they went to Daniel did his mummy act, holding his bag in one of his outstretched hand and moaning "thank you" after the candy was deposited in it. Both he and Sam were complimented on their costumes.

Once they were back at the Carters', Daniel was extracted from his costume, underneath which he had been wearing a T-shirt and shorts. Quentin had brought along a pair of pants for him.

The kids were now checking out their haul of candy, though they had been forbidden to eat more than two pieces tonight, the adults wanting to avoid sugar highs this late in the evening.

"Can we have the haunted tomb again next year?" Daniel asked Quentin. "Trick-or-treating was fun, but I think the haunted tomb was even better."

"Well, we'll just have to see how things go," the teacher replied with a smile.

* * *

The next day, Jacob got some news that he was not looking forward to telling Laura and the kids. He would be leaving again on an assignment, only, this time, he might be gone for over two weeks. He'd get back well before Thanksgiving, but Sam and Mark were not going to be at all happy.

It was times like these when Jacob seriously thought about resigning. But then reality would set in. A captain's pay might be nothing to brag about, but it was a secure paycheck and came with free base housing, medical coverage for him and his family, plus a lot of other benefits. If he resigned, there would be no guarantee that any job he got in the private sector would pay all that much more, and they'd have to either buy a house or rent. There would be utilities to pay, plus a lot of other expenses, all of which would hinder his and Laura's ability save for Mark's and Sam's education. There was also the fact that he would be up for a promotion soon, which meant a higher pay grade.

For the sake of his family, he had to stay in the military. There really was no other option, at least not now.

When Jacob got home and gave everyone the bad news, the response from the two kids wasn't quite what he'd expected. In the past, Mark had reacted with anger and resentment. This time, though he was clearly unhappy, he was calmer, more resigned than resentful. Instead of storming off, he asked where Jacob was going and what he'd be doing. Jacob took the time to explain everything and give him as many details as he could. The captain was very pleased with Mark's more mature reaction and treated the eleven-year-old in kind, talking to him more man-to-man than father to son. He saw how the difference in his approach affected Mark, enabling the boy to accept the reasons why Jacob had to leave.

And then there was Sam. Every time in the past when he had to go out of town, the look in her eyes just about broke his heart. When she was little, she'd usually cry, which was like a knife to his chest. The tears had pretty much stopped well before she reached the age of eight, but the look she'd get in those big blue eyes of hers was almost as bad.

This time, Sam was still upset, and she still wanted to know why he had to be the one to go, but when he explained it all to her, he could tell that she was actually listening to him and taking in what he was saying.

That evening, after the kids were in bed, Jacob talked to Laura about their reactions.

Laura smiled. "Mark's grown up a lot this past year, hasn't he."

"Yes, he has. It's great to see him acting so much more responsibly and maturely. I think it has a lot to do with what's happened this year. What with everything that's gone on, he's thinking a lot more about how other people feel and are affected by things. He's also really come to understand how much worse things could be than me going off out of state every now and then."

"Because of the situation with Daniel."

Jacob nodded. "Mark was too young to understand what was going on when I was serving in Nam, so the reality that I could be killed was not something he thought a lot about, but I know he thinks about it now and realizes that, compared to the life that some kids have, he's got it pretty good."

"I guess it's the flip side of the coin. It's a little sad that he's so much more aware of the harsh realities of life, but, at the same time, it's made him more mature and able to handle disappointments better."

"Yeah. As for Sam . . . I don't think there's any mystery about why she reacted better."

"No, I don't think there is. She's not lonely anymore. I think one of the things that hurt the most with all the moves was seeing how terribly Sam was affected by them. Mark makes friends so easily, but it wasn't so easy for Sam because of her intelligence and her difficulty in connecting to children whose interests were so different from hers. Every time she'd finally start to develop friendships, we'd have to move again."

Jacob sighed. "I know."

"Daniel coming into her life has changed a lot of things for her. She has not only his friendship, but others as well. She's learned how to connect to other children, not just those who share her interests. It makes me so glad to see that."

The captain smiled. "Me too."

"So, what time will you be leaving on Monday?"

"My flight out leaves at 6:30, so I'll be gone before the kids get up. I was thinking that we could do something as a family tomorrow, maybe take the kids to the movies."

"That would be wonderful. I know the kids will love it."

Jacob pulled his wife into his arms, a little smile coming to his lips. "As for us, my dear, I'm going to be pretty lonely not having you sleeping next to me. So, how about if we make some memories to help keep me warm at night?"

Laura smiled as well. "Some memories, huh? Now, what sort of memories would those be?"

"Oh, I think you can figure that out for yourself," her husband said before pulling her lips to his.

* * *

A smile came to Quentin's face as he walked into the library Saturday afternoon and found Daniel in the spot where he'd become a regular 'tenant' since coming to live there: curled up in one of the big, cushy chairs, voraciously reading a book.

"At this rate, you're going to have every book in this library read inside two years," the teacher said with a smile. "So, which one is it this time?"

"20,000 Leagues Under the Sea."

"Ah. Jules Verne. He was quite a visionary, you know. There are many things in his books that were science fiction back then, but are reality now." Quentin's smile faded. "We need to talk to you about something, Daniel. Come into the living room."

Daniel marked his spot with his King Tut bookmarker, then set the book down and went into the living room. Quentin told him to sit between himself and Kathleen on the couch.

"There is something important that we need to discuss with you," the teacher said. "It has to do with your name."

"My name?"

"Yes. You see, when the adoption is finalized, your last name will be made the same as ours. I know that might be upsetting to you, and we want you to tell us if it is."

"My name won't be Daniel Jackson anymore?"

"No, it will be Daniel Greer."

"Oh." Daniel's gaze fell to his lap. Though he very much wanted the Greers to be his new mom and dad, if he wasn't a Jackson anymore, it would almost be like his first mom and dad were no longer his parents at all.

Kathleen gently brushed her hand through his hair. "Does that upset you, honey? We understand if it does. We know that you loved your mother and father very much. There is something we could do, though, that you might like."

"What?"

"We were thinking that you could have your middle name changed to Jackson," Quentin explained. "Then you would be Daniel Jackson Greer, and, whenever you introduced yourself to someone, you could give that name instead of just Daniel Greer. In that way, you would have both our name and the name of your birth parents."

Daniel thought about it. Daniel Jackson Greer. He would have the name of both his birth parents and his adoptive parents. They would both be his family.

He looked up at the two people who were gazing down at him. "Daniel Jackson Greer would be okay," he said. "Then I can have your name and theirs, too."

Quentin and Kathleen smiled and pulled him into a dual hug.

"Daniel Jackson Greer it is, then," the teacher said with a smile. "I think it's a fine name." He ruffled the boy's hair. "Now that that's been decided, do you want to go dig right back into that book . . . or would you consider delaying that to dig into some chocolate ice cream?"

"Ice cream!" Daniel immediately replied.

Quentin chuckled. "I had a feeling that would be your answer."

That evening, after Daniel had gone to bed, Kathleen entered the library and walked up to her husband, who was sitting at the desk.

"I'm relieved that Daniel handled the name change well," she said. "I was terribly worried that he'd be upset. He loved his parents so much."

Quentin turned to face her. "I know. I was pretty worried, too. Changing his middle name is a good option. It will give him a sense of belonging both to us and to them." He turned back to the sheet of paper that was sitting before him, a little frown knitting his brow.

"What's wrong?" Kathleen asked.

Quentin let out a sigh. "I've been trying to write the letter to Daniel's grandfather."

Kathleen looked at what he had written: _"Dear Doctor Ballard."_

"Well, it looks like your off to an excellent start, dear," she said with a quirk of the lips.

"Ah, yes. Some of my best work, even if I do say so myself." He waved at the trash can. "Those are the rejects."

His wife glanced inside and saw four crumpled pieces of paper.

"I just keep sounding either too stiff and formal or too casual," Quentin explained. "I can't seem to find a happy medium. There's also the fact that I'm having a hard time putting aside that he rejected Daniel. I'm glad that he's still in Belize, because, to be perfectly honest, I'd rather not meet the man any time soon. I'd probably want to punch him in the nose. But, at the same time, I have to believe that he has at least some concern for Daniel's welfare. I just want him to know that we'll do all we can to give Daniel a good life."

"Well, then that's what you need to keep in mind while you write the letter." Kathleen kissed his cheek. "I'm sure you'll do fine."

After she was gone, Quentin returned his attention to the sheet of paper. After a few moments, he began to write.

_Dear Doctor Ballard,_

This letter is regarding your grandson, Daniel. I wanted you to know that my wife, Kathleen, and I are in the process of adopting him. I met Daniel over a year ago when he was put in the class I teach. In the months that followed, Kathleen and I brought him into our lives and came to care a great deal about him. He is living with us now, and we love him very much. Please rest assured that we are taking good care of him and will give him all he needs for a happy, healthy life.

We are aware of the tragedy and loss that Daniel has suffered, including the details of his parents' deaths. Daniel loved his mother and father very much, and we know that we will never take their place in his heart, nor would we want to. But he has a big heart and has made room in it for us. We know that we will make him happy, and, as an educator, I will make sure that he receives the best education possible so that his brilliant mind will reach its full potential.

I wish to ask something of you. The only thing Daniel has that belonged to his parents is an old book on ancient Egypt, and I know that it would mean a great deal to him if you could send some photographs and other personal items of theirs. If there is any way that you can do that, please mail them to the address below. If you want to call us, our phone number is there as well.

If you are ever back in the States and would like to visit Daniel, I know that he would be happy to see you.

Sincerely,

Quentin Greer

The teacher read back over the letter. He hoped that the man cared enough to follow through on Quentin's request.

After adding the address and phone number, Quentin took it to Kathleen for her to read. She noticed one thing in particular.

"You invited him to come see Daniel."

"Yes. I decided that it was only right. We might not like what he did, but he's Daniel's grandfather. He should have at least some part in Daniel's life, even if it's just a visit every once in a while."

Kathleen nodded. "You're right." She handed the letter back to him. "It's good, Quentin. I just hope that he sends some things. It would mean so much to Daniel."

* * *

As the silly song came to an end, everyone in the car laughed. The Carters were all on their way back from Syracuse. Jacob's original plan to have a family day turned into an entire weekend, all of them packing overnight bags and piling into the car for two days of fun. It had been a long time since they'd done something like this, just the four of them, and it had been great. Sam still wished, though, that her dad wasn't going out of town. She was going to miss him a lot.

It was pretty late by the time they got home. Knowing that Jacob would be gone before they got up in the morning, the kids said goodbye to him before they went off to their bedrooms. After getting dressed for bed, Sam went and brushed her teeth. She heard music playing on the stereo in the living room and her mother laugh about something. Curious, she went to see what was going on. She smiled when she saw her mom and dad dancing, smiling at each other.

Just then, Jacob saw her.

"Hey there," he said. "What are you doing still up?"

"I was brushing my teeth."

"Ah." The captain suddenly grinned, and he turned to his wife. "Laura, would you mind if I gave a dance to this lovely young lady?"

"Hmm. Well, I suppose one dance would be okay. I'll try very hard not to get jealous."

Jacob turned back to Sam. "You heard her, Sammie. Come on and dance with your old man."

Grinning, Sam ran up to him. It had been years since she'd danced with her father. Back then, she had been little enough that he danced with her standing on his feet, but this time would be different.

As Jacob patiently guided her, Sam had her first real dance. They moved around the living room in time to the music, Jacob occasionally lifting her up and spinning her around, making her laugh. She laughed even harder when he suddenly dipped her low enough that her hair touched the floor, then pulled her back up.

Sam didn't want the dance to end, but, all too soon, it did.

"Off to bed you go now," Jacob said. "Tomorrow's a school day."

Wishing her father good night, Sam headed for the hall. She stopped partway, turned around and ran back to him, throwing her arms around him.

"I love you, Daddy."

Jacob pulled her close. "I love you, too, sweetheart."

With one last tight squeeze, father and daughter separated, and Sam went off to bed, thinking that she really did have one of the best daddies in the whole world.

* * *

"My name's going to get changed," Daniel announced to Sam the next day as they met at their lockers.

"It is?"

"Yeah, when I get adopted, my last name will be Greer. We're going to change my middle name, too. _It'll_ be Jackson instead of my last name. So I'll be Daniel Jackson Greer from then on."

"I already guessed that your last name would be changed. Mark told me that's what would happen. But I didn't know that your middle name could be changed, too. Could your first name be changed?"

"I don't know. It's not gonna be."

"Good. I like Daniel. How much longer will it be before the adoption's all finished?"

"In a few months. We'll go before a judge, and he'll make it all legal. I can't wait! Mom and Dad said we're going to have a big celebration."

Sam grinned. The first time she heard Daniel call the Greers Mom and Dad, she had thought it was so great that he got to call them that. She was happy to know that, in a few months, it would all be legal, and Daniel would really be the Greers' son. He wouldn't be an orphan anymore.

The best friends headed toward class.

"Did your dad leave this morning?" Daniel asked as they walked. Sam had called him Friday night and told him the news about her father's departure.

Sam let out a sigh. "Yeah. I still hate it when he goes away. It always seems like forever before he comes back." Her smile returned. "Oh, but guess what? We went to Syracuse for the whole weekend. It was really fun!" She started talking about all the things they did and was still at it as they reached the classroom.

During lunch, the kids talked about the upcoming holidays. Daniel was disappointed to learn that he wouldn't get to spend any time with Sam and her family on Thanksgiving. The Carters were going to spend the holiday in Arizona with Laura's eldest brother, Irving, and his family.

"How about you?" she asked. "Are you going to have lots of relatives coming?"

"I don't know yet. I know that Dad's mom is coming, and Mom's parents are, too."

"So, you'll get to meet all of your new grandparents? That's neat. Are you nervous?"

Daniel nodded. "Nick's the only grandparent I remember having. It's going to be kind of weird suddenly having four of them and a bunch of other relatives, too. I hope they're all nice."

"Me too."

Daniel smiled brightly. "Jack's coming for Thanksgiving, too. He's really cool, and it's great that he's going to be my cousin. He promised that, someday, we're going to go fishing together."

"I've never been fishing."

"Really? Maybe we can all go together someday."

* * *

There were less than two weeks to go before Thanksgiving, and Daniel was still feeling nervous. Besides Jack and all three of his new grandparents, Quentin's uncle and aunt would also be there. It could be worse, though. There would be even more relatives coming if Quentin and Kathleen hadn't told everyone that any more would be too overwhelming for Daniel. The boy would be meeting a few more of his new family members on Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, Daniel was busy saving every penny of his allowance so that he'd have enough money to buy gifts for all the people on his list. He didn't yet know what he was going to get for each person, but he wanted to get extra special gifts for the man and woman he now called Mom and Dad.

Thinking of them made a smile come to Daniel's face. The weeks that had passed since he came to live with them had been wonderful, some of the happiest weeks of his life since the death of his parents. Every day, they gave him hugs and told him that they loved him. They played games, and watched TV together, and, sometimes, just sat and talked about all different things.

Daniel had once believed that no one would ever love him as much as his real parents did, but he was beginning to think that he'd been wrong, because, every time he looked into the eyes of the Greers, he saw the same love for him that he'd seen in the eyes of his parents. It made him feel good inside.

Those thoughts led Daniel to others, ones that saddened him. Back in early September, he had suddenly realized that the one-year anniversary of his parents' death had come and gone without him realizing it. He didn't know the exact date they died, but he knew that it had been in the latter part of August. It upset Daniel terribly that he'd forgotten, and he spent that evening in his bedroom, not wanting anyone to know how ashamed he was for forgetting. He hadn't spoken to anyone about it.

Since that day, Daniel had been wishing that he could go to where his mom and dad were buried. He knew that people put flowers on the graves of people they loved, and he wanted to do that, too.

Daniel looked up from his homework to Quentin, who was busy working on the assignments he'd be giving to his class next week.

"Dad?"

The teacher kept his eyes on what he was doing. "Hmm?"

"I want to go see my parents."

Quentin's head jerked up, and he stared at Daniel, who was now toying with his pencil.

"I forgot about the anniversary of when they died," the boy said in a low voice. "It was in August, but I don't know when." Daniel hung his head low, trying not to cry. "I feel bad that I forgot. I shouldn't have forgotten."

Quentin immediately went to Daniel, knelt beside the chair and pulled the child into a hug. He recalled the day of the anniversary, when he and Kathleen did everything they could to make sure that Daniel wouldn't think about what day it was. When did Daniel realize that the anniversary had come and gone without his knowledge? Maybe what they did had been a mistake. Perhaps it would have been better to let Daniel confront it and work through his grief.

"Daniel, don't feel guilty that you forgot. People don't always remember anniversaries. Lots of guys get into trouble with their wives because they forgot their wedding anniversary."

"Have you ever forgotten?"

"No, fortunately. Kat would skin me alive if I ever did." Quentin paused. "Daniel, Kat and I have an apology to make to you. We knew about the anniversary. We didn't want you to get upset, so we decided to keep you occupied with other things."

Daniel sniffled. "When was it?"

"On the day we took you and Sam to Syracuse, August 24th."

"Oh."

"So, if it was anyone's fault that you forgot, it was ours. I'm sorry. We should have talked to you about it instead. And if you want to go visit their graves, we can do that."

"I want to put flowers on them."

Quentin caressed his hair. "We can do that, too. How about if we go tomorrow?"

"Okay."

"You know what we could also do? We could drop in for a visit with your Grandma Annabelle, my mom. She's not expecting to meet you until Thanksgiving, so it would be a real surprise. How does that sound?"

Daniel nodded. "That would be okay."

"Good. That's what we'll do, then. I'll go tell Kathleen so that she can pack a change of clothes for us. Mom will insist that we spend the night at her house."

"I should pack some clothes, too."

"Yes, but you can do that this evening, after dinner. You need to get your homework finished since we might not get back until late Sunday."

Quentin left the library and found Kathleen, who was pulling clothes out of the dryer.

"We need to take a trip to New York tomorrow," he told her.

"We do?"

He explained to her what just happened.

Kathleen let out a sigh. "I suppose we should have known that he'd remember sooner or later. I feel so bad now."

"Yeah, me too. He wants to put flowers on their graves, and I think it's important that he does that."

"Yes, of course. Will we be going to see your mom as well?"

"I'd say that's a given. If we went to New York without seeing her and she found out, she'd be pretty unhappy with us, especially since we'll have Daniel with us. I'm not going to call her, though. We'll make it a surprise. Obviously, we'll be spending the night."

There was a knock on the door, and Quentin went to answer it. The man standing on the porch was someone the teacher didn't recognize.

"May I help you?" he asked.

"Mister Greer?"

"Yes."

"I am Nicholas Ballard, Daniel's grandfather."


	40. Chapter 40

CHAPTER FORTY

Taken aback, Quentin stared at the man before him. Other than the fact that his eyes were blue, he bore no resemblance to his grandson. He'd spoken with a distinct accent, perhaps German or Dutch.

"Doctor Ballard," the teacher said. "I have to say that I'm surprised you came."

"I wished to meet with the couple who want to adopt my grandson," the older man responded.

Quentin invited him in.

"Is Daniel here?" Nick asked.

"Yes, I'll get him. First, let me introduce you to my wife."

Quentin called Kathleen, who was as surprised as he was upon finding out the identity of their visitor.

As he headed toward the hallway, Quentin was silently composing what he was going to say to Daniel, how he would prepare the boy for the news that his grandfather was there. Unfortunately, the teacher didn't get the chance to do that, for, at that moment, Daniel appeared. Upon seeing his grandfather, he froze, his eyes widening.

"Gran . . . Nick?" he said in a voice filled with shock.

Nick smiled slightly. "Hello, boy. You look well. You've grown quite a bit."

Cautious and uncertain, Daniel continued forward. He came to a stop beside Quentin, so close that they were almost touching. The teacher put an arm about the boy's shoulders. Kathleen came around and stood on Daniel's other side, taking his hand.

"Why are you here?" Daniel asked.

"I received a letter from Mister Greer about the adoption," Nick replied.

Daniel started to get scared. What if Nick was here to stop the adoption and take him away? He didn't want to go with Nick. He wanted to stay here with the Greers.

Daniel edged closer to Quentin, pressing himself against the man's body. He felt the arm around him tighten.

"You aren't going to take me away, are you?" he asked.

"No, Daniel. He's not here to take you away," Quentin assured him. "He just wanted to meet us."

Kathleen suggested that they all sit down. Upon asking Nick if he wanted something to drink, the man said that some water would be appreciated. Getting the water afforded her the opportunity to calm her nerves. She'd known that, someday, they would likely meet Daniel's grandfather, but she hadn't counted on it being so soon, not before the adoption was complete. She just hoped that the man wasn't going to cause trouble. She was even more worried about how this was going to affect Daniel.

The next few minutes passed awkwardly. Quentin asked Nick how his flight had been, and the man answered that it had been tiring but uneventful, which was followed by a short silence.

"So, Daniel," Nick then said. "How is school going? What grade are you in now?"

"I'm in fifth grade, but my teacher is giving me some schoolwork that's for sixth-graders, and Dad is tutoring me with higher grade stuff, too."

Nick frowned. "Dad?"

Suddenly feeling very unsure, Daniel said, "I-I call the Greer Mom and Dad because, when the adoption's all done, they'll be my parents."

"I see."

Daniel looked up at Quentin, who gave him a smile of encouragement.

"It's okay, Daniel," he said. "I'm sure that your grandfather understands." His eyes went to Nick. "Isn't that right, Doctor Ballard."

The older man met the steely gaze of the teacher, the brown eyes telling him quite clearly that Quentin Greer would not allow Nick to bring any distress to Daniel.

Respecting the man for his fierce protectiveness, Nick nodded. "Of course. I was simply surprised."

Daniel relaxed a bit, as did Quentin and Kathleen.

The following minutes were spent with Nick asking Daniel more questions about his schooling, wanting to know if the boy was continuing his studies in archeology and linguistics. He was glad to hear that Quentin was providing Daniel with books and study materials on both them and anthropology, as well as language tapes so that the boy could continue adding to his already impressive collection of spoken languages.

The conversation moved to a dig upon which Nick had recently worked. He said nothing about his continuing determination to prove the existence of the crystal skull that had sent him to that place where he met the giant aliens. People were calling him a crackpot and a lunatic, but he knew that it had been real, and, someday, he would prove it.

Nick was invited to stay for dinner, which he accepted. Over the meal, he learned about the upcoming Thanksgiving family gathering. He did not share his thoughts about this, how he was not very comfortable with the idea of Daniel gaining a new grandfather and two new grandmothers. As for gaining two new parents . . . Nick had mixed feelings about that as well. This was so much different than if the child was remaining in foster care. Foster parents were not "real" parents, simply temporary caregivers. But the Greers would be more than that. They would be Daniel's family for the rest of their lives. They would take the place of Melburn and Nick's beloved daughter, Claire.

Throughout the meal, Quentin and Kathleen exchanged quite a few glances. Though they were trying very hard not to be judgmental, it was quite obvious to both of them that Nicholas Ballard was nothing like his grandson. Whereas Daniel was warm, loving and selfless, Nick was quite aloof and, based upon what they could see and already knew about him, rather self-centered. The way the man talked to Daniel was more like a mildly interested stranger than a grandfather, without any real warmth or even the smallest hint of pride or loving feelings. It upset the couple and made them feel terribly sorry for Daniel. How he must have ached for a grandfather who would hug him and make him feel loved.

After the meal, Nick decided that it was time to go to his hotel, and Quentin offered to drive him. Though the Dutchman would have preferred to take a cab, he knew it would be rude to say no, so he accepted.

After they were gone, Daniel asked Kathleen of he could call Sam. She gave her permission, and the boy went off to the library so that he could have some privacy.

"Hi, Daniel!" Sam greeted happily when she got on the phone.

"My grandpa's here."

There was a long moment of silence, then, "He is?" Sam's tone was now very subdued.

"Yeah. He got here this afternoon. He came because of the adoption. Dad wrote him about it, and he wanted to meet them."

"Oh. Is he okay about it?"

"I don't know. I guess so. We didn't really talk about it."

"How long is he going to be here?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. I'm not sure what we're going to do now. I was going to go with Mom and Dad to New York tomorrow."

"You were? Why?"

Daniel didn't answer for a few seconds. "I want to see my mom and dad's graves," he finally answered in a low voice. He then told Sam the whole thing, about forgetting the anniversary of their death and the confession Quentin made.

"I didn't think of it either," Sam admitted.

Daniel started to get upset. "I-I want to put flowers on their graves."

Also getting upset, Sam said, "Will you be coming back tomorrow?"

"No, we were going to stay overnight and visit my Grandma Annabelle, but, now, I don't know if we're going to go at all. We might not because Nick is here."

"Maybe he'll go with you. Your mom was his daughter. He might want to go to her grave, too."

"Yeah, maybe."

* * *

The drive to the hotel had been made mostly in silence, neither Quentin nor Nick feeling completely comfortable. When they pulled into a parking space, Nick was expecting to simply be dropped off, so he was surprised when Quentin turned off the car's engine.

"Doctor Ballard," the teacher began. "I'm not really sure why you came, if it was just to meet Kathleen and me or if there was more to it than that. I know you must have mixed feelings about all of this, but I want to repeat something I said in my letter. We are in no way trying to replace Daniel's birth parents. He loved them dearly, and we know that he always will. No one will ever take their place in his heart. But he deserves to have a real family with parents who love him and will be there for him for as long as they live, and we intend to be those parents." He met Nick's eyes straight on. "I hope you can accept that and the place we will have in Daniel's life."

Nick studied the man's face. "And if I cannot?"

Quentin's expression hardened. "Then I would ask that, for the sake of your grandson, you never reveal that to him. The last thing that child needs is to know that his only remaining blood relative is against the adoption that he so desperately wants and deserves."

Nick stared at the teacher for a few seconds longer, then said, "Please come inside with me."

Hesitating only a moment, Quentin exited the car with Nick and went to the hotel room with him. Nick retrieved a box from the table and handed it to the teacher.

"Those are some things belonging to Daniel's parents," the Dutchman explained. "Some photos, a few mementos."

Quentin gazed into the man's blue eyes. "Thank you. This will mean so much to him." He paused for a few seconds. "Before you arrived, we had plans to take Daniel to New York City tomorrow and spend the weekend there. He wants to visit his parents' graves. He hasn't been there since the funeral. Because of your sudden arrival, I was intending to change those plans, do it on another weekend. However, if . . . you would like to go with us. . . ."

Nick said nothing for several seconds. "Thank you for the invitation, but I must decline. My flight leaves Sunday morning, and I have plans to visit an old colleague of mine tomorrow. So, though I, too, will be in New York, my day is already planned."

Quentin paused, fighting to hide his emotions over the man's rejection of an opportunity to spend more time with his grandson in favor of visiting a former colleague.

"I see," he said. "Will you be coming to the house to say goodbye to Daniel before you leave? We were planning to leave for New York at eight o'clock."

"Of course. I will arrive at 7:30, if that is not too early."

"That will be fine."

When Quentin returned home, Kathleen and Daniel were sitting on the couch, watching TV. Both of their eyes went to the box in the teacher's hands.

"What's that?" Daniel asked.

"It's some things that your grandfather brought, Daniel, things belonging to your parents."

The boy's eyes widened. "Mom and Dad's things?"

"Yes."

The TV was turned off, and the three of them went into the dining room. The box was opened, and Daniel looked inside. Sitting on top was a manilla envelope. When the boy looked inside it, he saw that it was full of photos. He dumped them out on the table. Quentin and Kathleen gazed at the images, seeing for the first time the faces of the man and woman who had given life to the child who would soon be theirs.

Slowly, Daniel went through the photos one by one, explaining where some of them had been taken. It was not long before he was crying. Quentin and Kat, who were sitting on either side of him, draped their arms around the boy, silently comforting him.

The photos were put back into the envelope, and Daniel looked into the box. When he saw one of the things that was inside it, he started crying even harder. He picked it up and held it like it was the most precious thing on Earth. It was a small clay statue, clearly made by a child's hands.

"I-I made this for M-Mom and Dad," he said in hardly more than a whisper. "They really liked it and took it with them on almost every dig. T-they said that it looked like a real Egyptian statue."

"Oh, sweetheart," Kathleen murmured, pulling Daniel into her arms. She rocked him as he cried, her own eyes filling with tears. Looking at Quentin, she saw that he was close to tears as well.

It was quite a while before Daniel stopped crying. Quentin suggested that perhaps he should go through the rest of the stuff another time, not wanting him to get even more upset.

"Do you still feel up to going to New York tomorrow?" the teacher asked gently.

Daniel sniffled and wiped his face. "What about Nick?"

Quentin paused for a moment. "He's leaving tomorrow, Daniel."

Kathleen looked sharply at her husband, having heard a faint undertone of anger in his voice.

"Oh," Daniel said, his gaze falling to his lap.

Quentin brushed a hand through the boy's hair, tightening the reins on the anger that was burning inside him over Nick Ballard's shameful inadequacies as a grandfather.

"So, do you still want to go or shall we do it another time?"

Daniel thought about it. "I still want to go."

Quentin nodded and gave Daniel a kiss on the head. "Okay. You should go to bed now, Danny. We'll have to get up early. Your grandfather will be by in the morning to say goodbye."

The child went off to his bedroom to get dressed for bed. Watching him leave, Quentin felt a hand come to rest on his arm.

"Quen?" Kathleen inquired in a soft voice.

"We'll talk later, Kat."

Once Daniel was all ready for bed, the Greers wished him a good night, then returned to the living room.

"Tell me what happened," Kat said.

Her husband recounted the entire conversation with Nick.

"The way he said it, Kat," Quentin said. "It was so cool and emotionless, like he was turning down an invitation to tea. When I decided to invite him, I really didn't know what his answer was going to be, but I wasn't prepared for him rejecting it like he did. And then there's the fact that he already had plans to leave tomorrow. Part of an afternoon and one evening, Kat. That's all the time he'd scheduled for his grandson."

Kathleen, deeply upset, said, "I just don't understand it. Daniel is the most wonderful little boy in the world, that man's only grandchild, yet he seems to have so little interest in him."

"I know. I don't understand it either. I have to wonder if his daughter took after her mother, because she couldn't have been like him, not considering how much Daniel adored her." Wanting to change the subject, Quentin asked, "Did Daniel call Sam and tell her what was going on?"

"Yes, both about the trip and Nick's presence. I didn't hear the conversation, so I don't know what was said."

The teacher got up from the couch. "You know, I'm glad that Jacob's out of town."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because, if he was here, I don't think he'd have been able to stop himself from going to that hotel and giving Daniel's grandfather a piece of his mind. I was fighting not to do the same, and Jacob has more of a temper than I do." He paused. "I know it's not a nice thing to say or to think, but I wouldn't have minded seeing him punch that man in the jaw."

Kathleen smiled ever so slightly. "Neither would I, to be honest."

An hour later, the couple went to their bedroom. After changing, they got into bed to read for a while, but Kathleen's mind wasn't on the book in her hands.

"He couldn't cause trouble with the adoption, could he?" she suddenly asked, speaking her thoughts aloud. "I know that he can't legally stop it, but could he do something to delay it?"

"No, I don't think so. What could he do? Besides, though I definitely don't like the man, I don't think he'd do something to deliberately hurt Daniel, and he must know that to cause trouble with the adoption would hurt Daniel a great deal."

Kathleen let out a sigh. "I'm sure you're right. I'm just starting to wish that he'd mailed that package instead of coming here. I think it would have been better for Daniel."

"I have to agree. This visit of his probably resurfaced a lot of old feelings in Daniel."

* * *

Daniel lay in the dark, staring at the wall across the room, the sudden, unexpected appearance of his grandfather on his mind. Just like with every other time he could recall seeing Nick, there had been no hugs, no expressions of love. That had been true even at the funeral. The most Daniel got that day was the man's hand on his shoulder.

So many times Daniel had wondered why his grandpa didn't love him. Had he done something wrong? Did Nick not like kids? What was the reason? Daniel once asked his mom, and she claimed that Nick did love him, that he just wasn't the kind of man who expressed his emotions, but Daniel wasn't sure if she was right. If Nick really did love him, why wouldn't he even let Daniel call him grandpa?

Daniel had seen many kids with their grandparents, witnessed the hugs and kisses, grandparents playing with their grandkids, and it always made him sad because he didn't have that. Not until his experience with Mrs. Underwood's mother did he have any idea what it was like to have a grandparent give him affection. He wondered what his new grandparents would be like.

And, now, Nick was leaving again, going off back to wherever he came from after spending only a few hours here. Daniel tried not to let it hurt, but it did; it hurt a lot.

Wiping away the tears that had slipped down his cheeks, Daniel turned his face into the pillow, wishing he had a grandpa who loved and cared about him like grandpas were supposed to.

* * *

It was 7:30 precisely when Nick arrived in a taxi. The fact that he told the driver to wait made it clear that he didn't plan on staying for long.

Daniel didn't really want to talk to Nick and spoke very little. Seeing how their future son was acting made both Quentin and Kathleen want to kick the Dutchman out of their house, especially since it appeared that he was quite oblivious to his grandson's distress.

"Well, I had better get going," Nick said after having being there for all of fifteen minutes. He looked down at Daniel. "Take care of yourself, boy, and make sure you keep your grades up in school so that you can get into a good university."

Daniel merely nodded. He knew he should say goodbye, but he was too upset.

Nick held his hand out to Quentin, who shook it after a slight hesitation. "Goodbye, Mister Greer, Mrs. Greer. I have confidence that you'll give Daniel a good home."

Surprised by the statement, the teacher paused before saying, "Thank you."

He, Kathleen and Daniel all watched the man stride down the walkway and get into the taxi without a single backwards glance. As the car pulled away from the curb, both Quentin and Kathleen looked down at Daniel. His gaze was now glued to the ground, his little shoulders hunched. Kathleen knelt down beside him and pulled him into her arms. When she felt wetness on her neck, she tightened her hold on him.

"Why doesn't he love me?" Daniel whispered.

Tears flooded the woman's eyes. She looked up at her husband and saw the raw emotion in his gaze. He knelt on the other side of the boy.

"Mom told me that he does love me, but I don't think he does," Daniel said.

Neither adult knew what to say. Though they had to believe that there was some measure of love in Nick Ballard's heart for his grandson, that love could not be very strong.

"We can't really know what he feels, Daniel," Quentin finally said. "I'm sure that he does love you. It's just that, well . . . some people simply don't feel emotions very strongly. It's not in their nature."

Daniel was silent for a moment. "Is that what a cold fish means?"

"What? Where did you hear that?"

"My dad once called Nick that when he was talking to Mom. He was mad at Nick about something. Mom got upset when he said that."

"Ah." Quentin had to admit that "cold fish" described Nicholas Ballard to a tee.

The teacher asked Daniel to look at him. When the boy finally did, he said, "I'm not going to lie and say that I don't have issues with the way your grandfather is, but I want you to remember something. Though your grandfather may not feel things as deeply as he should, I know that your mother and father loved you very much. Kat and I love you very much, and so do the Carters and the Underwoods. You will always have people who love you, Daniel. Always."

Daniel's tear-filled eyes gazed into Quentin's for a long moment, then the boy threw himself into the man's arms. Quentin held him tight.

Clearing the lump from his throat and giving Daniel's back a little rub, the teacher said, "Come on. We've got a long trip ahead of us. It's time to get started on it."

They put their overnight bags and other things in the car and hit the road. Throughout the first forty minutes of the journey, Daniel was mostly silent, staring out the window. Quentin finally decided to put a halt to that.

"So, how about a song?" he asked. "Do you know 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat', Daniel?"

"Uh uh."

"Well, then I'd say that now is an excellent time to learn." He sang the entire song once by himself, then explained how it was to be sung by multiple people. He and Kat then gave a demonstration.

"So, you think you got that?" the teacher asked the boy.

"I think so. I start singing after Mom sings 'gently down the stream'."

"You got it. Everyone ready?" Quentin received two nods. "Then let's go." He began to sing, then Kat joined in. At the correct time, Daniel added his voice. After a while, he began to enjoy himself, and a smile came to his face. Seeing it in the rearview mirror, Quentin started singing more boisterously.

The rest of the journey passed quickly as they sang, played games, and chatted. As they entered the outskirts of New York, Quentin said, "I was thinking that we could go to my mother's place first. We can get unpacked and chat with her for a while. Would that be okay with you, Daniel?"

"Yeah," the boy replied. The truth was that, now that he was there in New York, he wasn't so sure he was prepared to see his parents' graves.

They were several blocks from Annabelle Greer's house when Quentin unexpectedly pulled into the parking lot of a grocery store. When Kathleen asked why they were there, he got a big grin on his face. He told her and Daniel he'd be right back, then got out of the car and went into the store. He came back a few minutes later with a paper sack.

"What did you get?" Daniel asked. Quentin pulled a single item out of the bag: a box of cookies.

"Did you get a sudden yen for sugar, darling?" Kathleen asked.

"Nope. This, my dear, is a prop."

"A prop?"

"Yep." Quentin explained what he had in mind. Daniel was grinning broadly by the time he was finished.

"So, Daniel. You up for this?" the teacher asked.

"Yeah. It'll be funny."

"Quentin, you are an evil man," Kathleen said, shaking her head.

They finished the drive to the house, parking a few doors down from it. Staying out of sight of anyone who might be looking out the living room window, they made their way up to the house. As Quentin and Kathleen stood against the wall several feet away, Daniel knocked on the door. The knock was answered by a stout woman in her sixties.

"Hi," Daniel greeted with a smile. "Would you like to buy some Boy Scout cookies?" As he spoke, he made sure to hide the brand name on the box in his hands.

"Boy Scout cookies? I thought that only Girl Scouts sold cookies," Annabelle responded in surprise.

"No, ma'am. Boy Scouts do, too. This is my very last box. If I sell all my boxes, I'll get a merit badge."

The woman smiled. "Oh, you are such a dear. Of course I'll buy it. Let me just get my purse." She went off to get her purse. When she returned, she was shocked to see her son and his wife standing behind the boy with the cookies.

"You always were such a pushover, Mom," Quentin said with a grin.

"Quentin! Kathleen! What a wonderful surprise. What are you doing here?"

"Well, we decided not to wait until Thanksgiving to introduce you to Daniel." Quentin laid his hands on the boy's shoulders.

Annabelle gasped, her eyes widening. "This is Daniel?"

"It sure is."

"Oh, my!" The woman hurried forward and engulfed Daniel in a huge hug. She then pulled back, now gazing at him with the eyes of a grandmother. "I am so very pleased to meet you, Daniel. What a wonderful, wonderful surprise. But, oh, what a trick you and this son of mine played, making me think you were a Boy Scout selling cookies." She shook her finger at Quentin. "I know this was all your idea."

He laughed. "Guilty as charged."

After giving her son and Kathleen hugs, the elderly woman invited them in, and they all took seats in the living room, Annabelle insisting that Daniel sit beside her.

"What a handsome boy you are," she said. "Quentin and Kathleen have told me so very much about you. My son is quite proud of you, you know. He tells me that you are the smartest student he's ever taught. I can't tell you how overjoyed I was when he told me that you're going to be a member of our family. I can imagine that you are very much looking forward to the adoption being completed."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Ma'am? No, no, no! You must call me Gramma, even if I'm not officially that yet."

Daniel smiled shyly. "Gramma," he said, really liking the way it made him feel.

She pulled him into a tight, brief hug. "Now, as it so happens, I have some cookies of my own. Not store bought ones. I made then this morning. Would you like some?"

Daniel nodded eagerly.

Annabelle got to her feet. "Quentin? Come give me a hand."

As his mother put some of the cookies on a plate, Quentin poured glasses of milk for everyone.

"I am so pleased that you came to visit, Quentin," Annabelle said.

"I knew you would be. Um . . . there is another reason why we came, actually, the main reason."

"What's that?"

When Quentin told her, Annabelle grew sad and quiet. "Oh, the poor, dear child. I can imagine how difficult it will be for him to go there. The first time I visited your father's grave, it was almost too much for me to take."

Quentin's chest tightened a bit as he thought back to the sad weeks that followed the death of his father.

"Do you know which cemetery to go to?" his mother asked.

"Yes. I, um . . . found out from Daniel's grandfather last night."

Annabelle's eyebrows rose. "His grandfather? But I thought you said that he was in Central America."

"He was. He arrived quite suddenly yesterday afternoon. I'll tell you about it later."

"All right." She gazed into her son's eyes. "After you go to the cemetery, you must bring Daniel right back here so that he can recover with people who love him."

"We will, Mom."

They took the milk and cookies out to the living room. Everyone chatted while they munched on the treat, Annabelle wanting to know all about what had been going on with Daniel lately. The overnight bags were then brought in. There was only one spare bedroom, so Daniel would be sleeping on the couch.

Quentin and Kathleen unpacked their change of clothes, then returned to the living room, where the boy was telling Annabelle about learning how to ride a camel.

"Are you ready to go, Daniel?" the teacher asked.

The boy's smile instantly vanished. After a bit, he nodded.

After getting another big hug from his future grandmother, Daniel went to the car with Quentin and Kathleen. On the way, they stopped at a florist for some flowers. When Daniel said that his mom's favorite flowers were yellow roses, that's what they got.

As they pulled into the cemetery, everyone grew silent. They stopped at the office to find out where the Jacksons' plots were. It turned out that the spot wasn't very far from there, just a short walk across the grass.

Quentin looked down at the boy who was clutching his hand tightly. "Are you ready, Daniel?"

Several seconds passed before the boy nodded. The teacher exchanged a long look with his wife, who held Daniel's other hand, then took a step forward, emotionally preparing himself for what was about to come.


	41. Chapter 41

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Silently, the three people passed the rows of headstones. Standing sentinel over some of the graves were trees, no doubt leftover remnants of the woods that this land once contained. It was near one of those trees that the three people came to a stop. They all stared down at the two markers sitting a few feet apart. Seeing the names of his parents engraved in the stone, Daniel began to cry. He felt the arms of Quentin and Kathleen go around him, trying to give what comfort they could.

After a minute or so, Kathleen handed Daniel the flowers. He stepped forward and laid the roses between the graves. He then sat on the ground, tears falling down his face. Kathleen knelt beside him.

"You should talk to them, sweetheart."

"But they can't hear me."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that." She paused. "Would you like us to leave you alone with them for a while?"

Daniel nodded his head after a few seconds.

"Okay. We'll be right over there." Kathleen pointed to a spot a few yards away. She got to her feet and walked off with Quentin.

Daniel sat and just stared at the headstones for quite a while. Then, in a voice that was no more than a whisper, he said, "Mom? Dad? I-it's Daniel. I miss you. I miss you so much. I wish you hadn't died. I wish we hadn't gone to set up that exhibit. Then you'd be alive. They put me in foster care, and I felt like I was all alone. I wanted to be with you back in Egypt." Daniel sniffled as the tears kept coming. "They put me in a public school, and I hated it. I didn't want to be there. But then I met a girl named Sam, and she became my best friend. She and her parents and brother are like my family. And I met Mister Greer, too. He was my teacher, but, now, he and his wife are adopting me. They're going to be my new parents. I'm living with them now. They really love me a lot, and I . . . I love them, too. But I still wish you were here."

Daniel fell silent. He stayed there for a few more minutes, then he got up and went to the Greers, who enfolded him in a warm, loving embrace.

"Oh, honey," Kat said. "It's all right. Go on and let it out."

The two adults held Daniel as he cried, murmuring soothing words. It was a while before he quieted.

"Would you like to go now?" Quentin asked. The boy answered with a tiny nod. The teacher looked at his wife. "Take him on back to the car. I, um, want to stay for a bit longer."

Understanding, Kat gave him a sad little smile and led Daniel away. Quentin turned around and stared at the graves of Daniel's parents. He then walked up to them.

"I want you both to know that Daniel will be safe in our care," he said. "My wife and I love him very much, as much as if he was our own son. He has become a wonderful blessing to us. I can no longer imagine my life without him in it, and I know that Kathleen feels the same. We will both spend the rest of our lives giving him everything we can. That I swear to you."

When Quentin returned to the car, he found Kathleen sitting in the back seat with Daniel, holding the boy close. She remained there as the teacher drove out of the cemetery and took them back to his mother's place.

Daniel's gaze remained downcast as they went into the house. When he said in a very quiet voice that he wanted to be alone, Kathleen told him that he could go to their room. He disappeared inside, quietly shutting the door.

Terribly distressed by the child's demeanor and the deep sorrow on his face, Annabelle asked how things had gone.

"It was hard on him," Quentin replied. "He loved his parents very much, and their deaths hit him really hard. You should have seen how he was when I first met him, Mom. He's come a very long way since then, but that grief is still inside him."

They talked quietly for a while. Annabelle was filled in about Nick Ballard's visit. She was appalled and outraged by the man's actions and apparent lack of loving emotions for his grandson.

"If your father was still alive, he'd give that man what for," Annabelle declared angrily.

Quentin smiled softly. Alfred Greer had been a man who always spoke his mind. "Yes, I have no doubt that he would." He glanced down the hall. "I'm going to go check on Daniel."

When a light tap on the bedroom door went unanswered, Quentin opened the door and found the boy asleep on the bed, a wet spot on the quilt beneath his head that the man knew was caused by tears. With a sad sigh, Quentin laid down on the bed beside the child and stroked Daniel's golden hair. He wished that there was a way to take his future son's pain away, to heal the hurt inside. But this would pass. Daniel would get through it and move on. Going to the cemetery had brought all the heartache back to the fore, but Quentin still believed that it did Daniel some good to go there, that it would help bring some closure.

The teacher let out another sigh and closed his eyes. He'd slept very little last night, the issue with Nick and his worry over Daniel making it hard for him to relax. He was now feeling overwhelmingly tired. It wouldn't hurt just to lie here for a bit.

Fifteen minutes later, Kat peeked inside and found not one sleeping person on the bed but two. Man and child were close together, one of Quentin's arms draped protectively over Daniel's body.

Smiling, Kathleen called softly to Annabelle. The older woman joined her.

"Oh, what a darling sight," Quentin's mother said. "How I wish I had a camera. Come. Let's let them sleep."

They went into the kitchen, where they fixed some tea.

"So, how are you, dear?" Annabelle asked as they sat drinking their tea at the table. "Getting excited about the adoption finalizing?"

"Oh, definitely, although, now that Daniel's living with us, it feels like he's already ours. This whole thing has made me realize that Quentin and I should have considered adoption a long time ago. I just," Kathleen sighed. "I just really wanted a baby of my own."

Annabelle laid her hand over her daughter-in-law's. "I know, honey, and I know that my Quentin wanted that, too. There's something I never told you or him. Before I got pregnant with him, I suffered three miscarriages."

"Oh, no."

"Every one of them devastated me, and I began to believe that I was never going to be able to have a baby. When I found out for the fourth time that I was pregnant, I was so terrified that it would happen again. I prayed every day that God would let me keep that baby." She smiled. "He answered my prayers, and I was blessed with a beautiful little boy, but I will always remember the sorrow and longing that came before."

Tears prickled Kat's eyes. She, too, had prayed for a child, more times than she could count. How could she have known that _her_ prayers would be answered in the form of a sad little orphan boy who so desperately needed what they could give him? Though she would always wish that she could have had a baby of her own, she and Quentin had Daniel now, a child who was bringing so much joy and love into their lives.

Quentin's nap lasted an hour. He took Kat's teasing without comment and fixed himself some coffee.

"Do you have any other plans for the day?" his mother asked.

"No, not really. I don't think that Daniel will be up to doing anything anyway."

"Well, then, in that case, I am going to fix all of you a nice dinner. I'm afraid that I've slipped into the bad habit of eating those TV dinner things and hardly cook anymore. I need to go shopping to get some things."

"That's not necessary, Mom. We can just get some takeout."

"Nonsense! I'm certainly not going to have my son, daughter-in-law and future grandson come for a visit, then have them eat McDonald's hamburgers in my home. It won't take me long to get what I need, and it will be lovely to have someone to cook for."

"I'll go with you," Kat said. "I know what Daniel doesn't like."

The two women went off to the store. They'd been gone for around twenty minutes when Daniel appeared from the bedroom, his hair mussed from sleep.

"Hey there," Quentin said with a smile. "Come on over and join me."

Daniel sat on the couch beside him. "Where's Mom and Gramma?"

"They went to the store to get some things for dinner." Quentin brushed a hand through the boy's hair. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay."

Quentin tried to catch Daniel's eyes, but they were resolutely glued to the child's lap. "Are you? I know that, if I was you, I wouldn't be."

Daniel sighed ever so softly. "I'm . . . I'm sad."

Quentin pulled him close. "I know, Daniel. It's only natural that you would be."

"I keep thinking about if we'd never gone to the museum to do that exhibit, the accident wouldn't have happened, and they'd be alive. We'd be back in Egypt on a dig." Daniel paused for a while. "But then I would never have met Sam, or the Carters, or . . . or you."

Quentin wasn't quite sure what to say in reply. He thought about it for a moment. "A lot of things happen in a person's life, Daniel, some good and some bad. Sometimes, bad things lead to really good things. You losing your parents was a terrible thing, but there are some good things that happened because of it. You met Sam and her family, and you met us." He put his finger under Daniel's chin and lifted the boy's head so that he could look into the sad blue eyes. "You coming into our lives was a wonderful thing, Daniel. I'm not saying that I'm glad your parents died, but, if they hadn't, Kat and I would never have met you, and that thought makes me very sad. You being here with us has made our lives so much better. Having you as a friend has made Sam's life better, too, and I bet that her parents and brother feel the same way. It's okay to wish that your parents never died, Daniel. It's only right that you feel that way. But I want you to think a lot about all the good that has happened since then and all the people you now have in your life who love you."

Daniel looked away, thinking about what the man had said. He did still wish that his mom and dad were alive, but, now, he had so many other people whom he loved and who loved him. He wouldn't want to make a wish that would change things in such a way that he would never meet any of them.

He looked back up at the man who was gazing at him with love in his warm brown eyes. Daniel then wrapped his arms around the big man's waist.

"I love you, Daddy," he whispered.

A big lump forming in his throat, Quentin pulled the boy close. "I love you, too, Danny."

* * *

Dinner that night was a real family affair, including the preparations. Though Annabelle and Kat did all of the cooking, Quentin and Daniel helped by making the salad and attending to the beverages, which included grape Kool-Aid, a drink that Daniel had never tried before. Over the meal, they talked about all different things. Annabelle was delighted and fascinated by Daniel's tales of some of the digs he'd been on and the people he'd met. In listening to him talk, she could see that Quentin had not exaggerated about his intelligence. Alfred would have loved Daniel and would have already been making plans for the boy's higher education. She could almost hear his voice now.

_"That boy is a marvel, Anna. Mark my words. He'll be getting a doctorate by the time he's barely into his twenties. I'd give my eyeteeth to be one of his professors."_

Smiling secretly, Annabelle returned her attention to the conversation.

It being a Saturday night and a special day, Daniel was allowed to stay up late. He fell asleep on the couch shortly after ten and was placed in the spare bedroom.

"We'll move him when we go to bed," Quentin said to his mother, who'd accompanied him to the bedroom.

She moved to his side, and he put his arm around her shoulders.

"Are you happy, Son?" she asked, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear how he would reply.

"Happy? Oh, Mom. That word doesn't even come close. Ever since Kat and I began to realize that we might not ever be able to have a baby, I've felt this . . . empty place inside me. I tried to hide it from her, but . . . it hurt."

Annabelle wrapped an arm around his waist. "I know, sweetheart. I know. It hurt me, too."

"From the moment I met Daniel, I felt a connection to him. At first, it was because I saw a bit of myself in him. Because he didn't speak and was so withdrawn, everyone assumed that his intelligence was below average. You remember was it was like for me when I had the stutter, the way I was teased and called stupid."

Annabelle nodded.

"Because of that, I felt more protective of him and wanted to do everything in my power to help him. But, as the weeks passed, it became so much more than that. I really don't know when I came to love him, although I do know that when he got the pneumonia, he already meant way more to me than any other student ever had. The adoption may not be final yet, but that doesn't matter. He's my boy, my son, and I love him more than I could ever say."

Annabelle looked up at him. "I'm so glad, Quentin. It makes me so happy that you found him and are bringing him into our family." She smiled. "Speaking of that, is he prepared for all the family he'll be meeting on Thanksgiving?"

Quentin chuckled. "I'm afraid that he's a bit overwhelmed by the thought. Since he will have already met you, it'll be easier on him, but Kat's parents alone are going to be all over him," he grinned, "especially Wayne. He's been wanting a grandchild to spoil for a very long time now. He'll probably come with a trunk full of so-called early Christmas presents."

Annabelle laughed, certain that he was right. Kathleen's father was a warm, generous man who laughed often and would give the shirt off his back to a stranger in need, so very different from the man who was Daniel's biological grandfather.

Refusing to let thoughts of Nicholas Ballard spoil the evening, Annabelle said, "Come on. I do believe that I have a wee bit of that Christmas brandy left."

"Mmm. I won't say no to that."

Mother and son quietly left the bedroom, softly closing the door behind them.

* * *

Breakfast the next morning was a huge spread that included pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and homemade biscuits and gravy. Everyone stuffed themselves silly. Afterwards, Quentin complained that he was too full to even move, let alone drive the long way back to Rome.

"Well, then I suppose you will just have to wait until all that food is digested," Annabelle responded with a little twinkle in her eyes.

Quentin stared at her. "Ah hah! So, you planned this, didn't you. I should have known." He turned to the boy sitting beside him. "Don't be fooled by that sweet, innocent face of hers, Daniel. Your grandmother can scheme and connive with the best of them."

"I don't know what you mean, dear," the elderly woman claimed innocently.

"Sure you don't."

Daniel grinned. He really liked his new grandmother a whole lot. She was exactly like he'd always dreamed a grandmother would be. He hoped that he would like his other new grandparents just as much.

As the others went into the living room, Annabelle fetched the family albums, and they spent the next two hours going through the photos, telling Daniel who all the people were and a bit about them. Daniel was fascinated by Annabelle's recounting of the stories her father told her of his time as a pilot in World War I.

"Jack's a pilot," he said.

"Jack?" Annabelle questioned. "Oh, you mean Kathleen's cousin."

Daniel nodded. "He's coming for Thanksgiving again. I can't wait to see him."

Annabelle smiled. "Ah, so you and he hit it off, did you? Well, that's no surprise. He is quite the young man."

It was around half an hour later that Quentin said they had to get going. As they gathered their things and put all of it in the car, Annabelle made sandwiches for them to eat on the road. She gave everyone a big hug and placed a loving kiss on Daniel's cheek.

"I can't wait to see you again at Thanksgiving," she said to the boy.

"I can't wait to see you again, too, Gramma."

She brushed her fingers over his cheek, gave him another hug, then wished them all a safe journey. After they were gone, she went to the mantle and pulled down a photo.

"Oh, Alfred. How I wish you were here. You would love that boy so much. I can see you sitting with him on that ratty old chair you adored, filling his head full of knowledge, just as you did with Quentin."

She took the photo to a chair and sat down. Her eyes looked about the house that had been her home for over forty years. It was filled with so many memories. For years now, Quentin had been trying to get her to move to Rome so that she could be close to them, but she hadn't wanted to leave this place because of the memories. But she had a grandchild now, and she wanted to be a regular part of his life, not just someone he visited every few months.

"What do you think, Alfred?" she asked the photo. "You know how I love this house and all the memories you and I made here together, but I'm getting along in years, and it can be so very lonely sometimes. Daniel is such a sweet boy, and I already love him dearly. It would be wonderful to have him come visit me every week. Of course, I'd probably give him cavities with all the cookies I'd bake for him."

Annabelle let out a sigh, her gaze returning to the structure that surrounded her. Perhaps it was finally time to pack up all her memories and take them with her to someplace new, someplace where more happy memories could be made.

* * *

During Monday's lunch break, Daniel told Sam about the weekend. He mostly talked about the visit with his grandmother, saying very little about what happened at the cemetery because he didn't want to get upset.

"Is your dad still coming home today?" he asked.

Sam smiled brightly. "Yeah. I can't wait. It's only been two weeks, but it feels like forever."

To Sam, it felt like the bus home that afternoon took twice as long as it usually did to reach the base. Even though she knew that her dad wouldn't be there yet, she ran all the way to the house. Bursting into the living room, she came to a sudden stop upon seeing her mother on the couch, looking pale and shaken.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Sam asked, getting scared.

"Oh, honey. Come sit down."

Sam took a seat. "What is it? What's happened?"

"Now, before I go on, I want you to know that your father is all right, just a little banged up. The military flight he was on had mechanical trouble and had to come in for a forced landing."

"I-i-it crashed?" Sam whispered.

"Yes, but it wasn't really bad. There were no serious injuries. Your father had to have a few stitches, and he's got some bruises, but he's just fine. He's just fine, baby."

Sam threw herself into her mother's arms, thinking about how close she came to losing her father today.

"Is he still going to be coming home today?" she asked.

"Yes, but it will be a bit later, not until tonight."

When Mark got home and was told the news, Sam could see that he was as deeply shaken as she had been.

Dinner that evening was very quiet, Sam repeatedly looking at the clock and listening for the sound of a car in the driveway. The sound came just before 7:30. Sam didn't wait for her father to get inside. Instead, she was out the door and flinging herself into his arms as he got out of the car.

"Hey, hey, hey," Jacob said as he held her. "It's all right, Sammie. I'm here. I'm right here."

"You could have died," she mumbled into his coat.

"I know, but I didn't. I'm a bit worse for wear, but everything will heal. Come on. Let's get you inside. It's too cold out here for you without a coat."

Grabbing his duffle bag off the back seat and wishing the sergeant who'd driven him a good night, he went with Sam inside. Laura was immediately in his arms, holding him tight. He looked over toward the dining room and saw Mark standing a few feet away, looking like he didn't know what to do.

Jacob held his hand out to the boy. "Come on, then."

That's all the encouragement Mark needed. He closed the distance between them and joined the hug.

For a couple of minutes, they remained like that, then they sat down.

"What happened, Daddy?" Sam asked, looking at the bruise on his cheek and the small cut over his right eye.

"We'd stopped to pick up some cargo. On the takeoff, we hit a flock of birds and lost both engines. We had no choice but to immediately set back down. Unfortunately, we ran out of runway. Thanks to the pilot and a whole lot of luck, we all walked away with no injury more serious than a broken arm. The plane, I'm afraid, is a bit worse off . . . and so is some of the cargo." Jacob smiled slightly. "I should imagine that General Mitchum wasn't happy to learn that his case of imported scotch didn't survive."

"We are just all so very happy that _you_ survived, Jacob." Laura responded in a heartfelt tone.

Jacob gave her a gentle smile and cupped her cheek. She grasped his hand and pressed her lips to it.

Because of the circumstances, Jacob and Laura let both kids stay up past their bedtime. When they finally told Sam it was time for her to go to bed, she resisted for a while, but then went off to get dressed. She was crawling into bed when there was a knock on her door. It opened to reveal her father. He smiled and came in to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Do you think you'll be all right tonight? If you have any bad dreams about what happened, it'll be okay for you to come in to check on me."

"It will?"

"Sure, I won't mind." He grinned. "Try not to wake me, though. I'm beat. And talk about sore! I'm sure glad that I've been give a day of medical leave. I bet I'll be really stiff in the morning."

"Can I stay home with you? Please, Daddy?"

Jacob knew that he should say no, insist that Sam go to school, but looking into her pleading eyes and knowing how much this incident had scared her made him decide that he just didn't have the heart to make her go.

"All right, sweetheart. You can stay home with me."

Sam sat up and gave him a hug, thanking him.

When Jacob went back out into the living room, he told Laura and Mark that Sam wouldn't be going to school tomorrow.

"You can stay home with us as well, if you want to, Mark."

Mark wished that he could stay home, but it wouldn't be possible, not tomorrow. "I can't. I have practice, and I can't miss it."

"Ah. No, you wouldn't want to miss that. Hey, when is that big game you've been going on about?"

"December 7th."

"Great. I'm really looking forward to it. I know you team's gonna win."

Mark beamed, thrilled by his dad's words.

After the boy had gone off to bed, husband and wife retired to their bedroom. When Jacob took off his shirt and Laura saw the cuts and bruises adoring his body, her breath caught in her throat. Hearing the tiny sob, Jacob turned to her. Upon seeing the look on her face he instantly crossed the room and pulled her into his arms.

"When they called and told me that your plane had crashed, I felt like I was dying, Jacob. I felt like I was dying," Laura whispered, starting to cry. "I almost didn't hear the lieutenant tell me that you were all right."

Jacob cursed silently. "I _knew_ I should have told them that I'd call you myself. I'm so sorry they scared you, Laura."

His wife grasped his face between her hands and pressed a hard kiss to his mouth, the taste of tears on her lips. She then gazed intently into his eyes.

"I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you, Jacob."

"Hey. Don't think about that. Come on. Let get into the bed."

They finished changing, then crawled under the covers. Laura immediately went into Jacob's arms, wanting to be close to him tonight.

"So, what with the excitement and all, I didn't get the chance to ask if anything interesting happened since our last phone conversation," her husband said.

"Not here, but you should know that Daniel's grandfather showed up."

Jacob stiffened and looked at her. "He did?"

"Yes, Friday afternoon. I guess Quentin wrote a letter to him about the adoption, and he came to see what kind of people were planning to adopt Daniel."

Jacob frowned severely. "That man had better not cause any trouble. Is he still here?"

"No, he left on Saturday. There's something else as well."

Laura told him about the trip to New York to visit the graves of Daniel's parents. "I don't know how it went. Sam said that Daniel didn't want to talk about it."

"I can only imagine how rough it must have been on him. I'll have to call Quentin tomorrow, find out about it and more about Ballard's visit." He was silent for a moment. "I have to say that I'm disappointed."

Laura looked up at him. "About what?"

"About missing my opportunity to knock a few of that man's teeth loose."

A little laugh escaped Laura's lips. "Well, perhaps it was a good thing he came when he did, then. We couldn't have afforded to bail you out of jail."

"True. Even so, it would really have felt good."

* * *

It was almost time for Quentin and Daniel to leave for the school when the phone rang.

"Good morning, Quentin," Jacob greeted when the teacher answered the call. "Sorry to call so early, but I wanted to catch you before you left."

"No problem, Jacob. So, I see you got back okay."

"Um . . . not exactly."

"What do you mean?"

"I won't go into details now. I'll just say that the plane I was on had a bit of a hard landing. I got a little banged up."

"My God. What happened?"

"An altercation with some birds. As I said, I'll explain it all later. The reason why I'm calling is that I've got the day off due to my injuries, and Sam's staying home from school to be with me. This thing really shook her up. I knew that Daniel would worry about her when she didn't show up at school, so I wanted him to know that she's fine. She'll be spending the day with her old man. Laura has a couple of appointments and some shopping to do, so it'll be just me and Sam for the morning and part of the afternoon."

"Okay, I'll tell him. I'm really glad it wasn't worse, Jacob. Do you think you'd be up for a visit this evening? I know that as soon as Daniel finds out about the accident, he's going to want to see you. We've . . . also got some things to talk about."

"Yes, Laura told me about Daniel's grandfather and your trip to New York."

"Yeah."

Jacob heard a note in the teacher's voice. "Got some things to get off your chest?"

"A few."

"I understand. Sure, come on over tonight. Say six o'clock? We can have dinner, then talk a while."

"That'll be good. We'll see you then."

Jacob hung up the phone and went into the kitchen, where Sam was finishing her breakfast. Mark was already gone, having had a school bus to catch.

"Daniel's being told that you won't be in school today, Sam, so he won't worry about you." It had been at her insistence that he called the Greers. He looked at his wife. "Quentin asked if they could come over tonight, and I said that was fine. I hope that's okay. They'll be here for dinner."

"That's fine. It's a good thing I'm going shopping. I was going to fix roast, but the one I have won't be big enough for all of us." She looked at her watch. "I need to get going. I assume that you will both be able to survive without me this morning."

"Oh, I think we'll be able to muddle through." Jacob gave her a kiss goodbye. She grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

The captain turned to the remaining female in the house. "So, what are the plans for today? I'm moving at half-speed, so no wrestling or other such things."

"We could play chess. You always said you were going to teach me."

"That sounds like an excellent idea."

After clearing away the breakfast dishes, Jacob got the chessboard and set it up on the dining room table. He then patiently began Sam's first lesson in the game. She took it all in, asking lots of questions and challenging things that made no sense to her. It wasn't at all like checkers, which had very simple and straightforward rules.

Once Jacob was sure she had the fundamentals down, they played a game. He guided her throughout it, making suggestions on her moves and explaining why his suggestions would be better than other moves. He, of course, won the game, but he could tell that Sam might one day be a pretty good player.

"This reminds me that I have yet to play Daniel a game," he said.

"He told me that he's been playing with Mister Greer. He said that Mister Greer is really good, but he actually beat him once."

"Hmm. Definitely sounds like I may be out of his league, then." He smiled at his daughter. "So, another game?"

"Yeah!"

They played one more chess game, then switched to checkers, in which Jacob was beaten soundly. After lunch, father and daughter went for a walk, the captain wanting to exercise his stiff, sore muscles.

"So, are you looking forward to the visit with Uncle Irving?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah. We haven't seen him in forever."

"Yes, it has been a long time." Jacob smiled. Laura's eldest brother was quite something else. A bit of a buffoon and a jokester, his main goal in life seemed to be making people laugh. The kids loved him dearly, especially Sam, whom Irving had called his Pumpkin Pie ever since she was two years old and got hold of the Thanksgiving dessert, most of which ended up on her clothing and face rather than in her mouth.

"I wish Daniel was coming with us," Sam said. "He'd really like Uncle Irving."

Jacob chuckled, imagining the boy's reaction to the man. There was no doubt that the moment Laura's brother learned Daniel's history, he would pull out all the stops to make the child laugh as hard and as often as humanly possible.

"Well, perhaps one of these days, we can get Irving to come here. Then you can introduce the two of them."

They walked in silence for a while.

"Daddy? Have you ever wanted to visit your mom and dad's graves?"

Taken aback by the question, Jacob came to a halt. He stared at Sam. "Is this because Daniel went to see his parents' graves?"

"Yeah."

Jacob resumed walking. "I did visit my mother's grave a few times when I was younger."

"But you haven't gone there since the funeral for Grandpa Tom." Sam knew that her grandfather had been buried beside his wife.

"No. It's just too far away. But I have thought about it a couple of times. The situation with Daniel is different, Sam. There is still a lot of grief and feelings of loss. Though I miss my father very much, I have many years of memories to help me cope, and I know that he had a good long life. As for my mom, I didn't have nearly as much time with her, but a lot of years have passed since she died, so it doesn't really hurt anymore."

Sam didn't speak for quite a while. "What about Aunt Ellen?" she finally asked.

A sharp stab of pain lanced through Jacob. He sighed sadly. "Yes, I'd like to visit her grave someday."

Hearing the sorrow in his voice, Sam slipped her hand into her father's.

Wanting to get the conversation off sad things, Jacob asked Sam if she thought she was going to have enough money saved up to buy all the Christmas presents she wanted to.

"I don't know. I really hope so. I want to get Daniel a better present this year than a poster."

"Well, I'm sure that he'd love whatever you got him."

The two of them finished their walk. As they came within sight of the house, they saw that Laura was home.

"Ah. Looks like our time alone is at an end," Jacob said, kind of wishing that it could have gone on a bit longer.

Sam wrapped her arms around her dad's waist. "I'm glad it was just you and me for all those hours."

Jacob smiled down at her. "Me, too, Sammie. Me, too."


End file.
